Projects & Collaborations
From the Block to the Ballot
Building the Bloc- The Re-enfranchised Coalition
From Restoration to Action
On March 2, 2023 Governor Tim Walz signed HF 28/SF 26 restoring voting rights to 55,000 Minnesotans on felony probation. We have an opportunity to build a voter bloc of Minnesotans who have first-hand experience with the criminal legal system to advocate for meaningful transformative change. In partnership, Until We Are All Free (UWAAF), the Minnesota Justice Research Center (MNJRC), T.O.N.E. U.P. and with support of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC) (three organizations led by Black, formerly-incarcerated individuals), aims to create an entity capable of educating and mobilizing this new bloc of voters. Our first collaborative effort will be to engage eligible voters to register and vote in the Minneapolis municipal election this November, 2023. Following this effort, we will work together to identify and provide leadership development to people impacted by the system who are interested in advocating for meaningful changes to the criminal legal system. These advocates will then lead the effort to expand the voter engagement program in 2024, in partnership with our research team to collect and analyze data on reach and voting behavior, and explore opportunities to engage in policy development and advocacy during the annual legislative sessions.
