(Milaca, MN) — A judge in Mille Lacs County has ruled unconstitutional a new state law that allows felons to vote after they’re released from prison — setting up a legal battle with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Secretary of State Steve Simon.
In barring two convicted felons from voting until after they’ve completed probation, District Judge Matthew Quinn cites a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling last February, the month before Governor Tim Walz signed the change into law.
Ellison and Simon say the judge’s orders “are not lawful and we will oppose them.” They contend the rulings “have no statewide impact” and felons not currently incarcerated “are eligible to vote.”