2024:
AAUW Women Advocate for
A More Perfect State with an Equal Rights Amendment
to our Constitution!
Primary Election Day – August 13, 2024
We WILL persist!
Minnesota ERA!
Persistence Required.
The MN House did pass the ERA bill. The MN Senate did not bring it to a vote before the 2024 Legislative Session ended at 12:00 a.m. on Monday, 5/20.
AAUW MN, as well as our branch, the Minneapolis branch, and other branches, joined ERA MN and the League of Women Voters advocating at the Capitol for passage of the bill that would allow Minnesotans to vote on the constitutional amendment in 2026. More action will be needed in the future. ERA MN is calling for a special session, although the Governor has said he will not be calling one.
PERSISTENCE!
MN women have been, and must continue to be, PERSISTENT about the ERA. Please continue to persistently pester your state legislators on this issue!
- Scroll down a bit or click here to find out about AAUW National Two-Minute Activist opportunities.
- Follow issues of particular importance to Minnesotans and Take Action on bills during the Minnesota Legislative Session here.
- Find out about actions YOU can take to help manage water resources sustainably here.
- See other resources and links for taking action here.
Two-Minute Activist – AAUW National
Two-Minute Activist is an AAUW National program that provides a quick and easy way to “send emails and texts to your legislators to fight for equal pay, family leave, stopping sexual harassment, equality in education and more.”
To become a “Two-Minute Activist” go to the webpage and simply click on the link for the issue you wish to support to read more about it, then:
- fill in your name and address
- use the suggested message text or personalize it as you wish
- click on “Send Message” and the message will automatically be sent to your US Senators and US Representative
Minnesota: Persistently Pester Your Legislators about the ERA Ballot Measure
“The Minnesota Constitution is 166 years old, and while the majority of states have gender equity provisions, Minnesota has yet to include language enshrining equal rights based on gender. It is time to rectify this.” Read more and Take Action on the National AAUW website.
Defend Democracy – Be an Election Judge
Voting Rights Underpin ALL Our Rights. Defend Voting Rights by becoming an Election Judge for the 2024 November General Election. Scroll down under Take Action Minnesota! to find details for how you can do this
Find quick and easy Two-Minute Activist opportunities and signup to get regular action alerts on the National AAUW website.
Take Action Minnesota!
Ensuring Fair Elections – Sign up to be an Election Judge!
Voting Rights Underpin ALL Our Rights!
Defend Voting Rights by becoming an Election Judge
for the 2024 August Primary and the November General Election.
It is interesting work, and you are surrounded by other people who want to ensure fair and free elections. Election judges are needed in every county and large city throughout the state. Without enough election judges, lines at polling places are longer and sometimes the number of polling places are reduced – making it harder for people to vote.
It is not too late to sign up to be a judge in the November 2024 general election! At least not as of the date of this post (6/7/24). Contact your city or county election official as soon as possible to find out if there is a specific application deadline for your area.
FAQs about being an election judge:
- How do I sign up? You sign up with your city or county. The Secretary of State’s office has a website explaining how to sign up, a mail in application, and links to cities and counties that allow online applications. It is Minnesota Secretary Of State – Become an election judge.
- Who can be an election judge? Anyone eligible to vote may be an election judge. You may be unaligned or a registered member of a political party, but certain duties can only be performed by persons registered with a political party (this is because the presence of 2 judges from different parties is required in certain cases where a voter needs assistance to vote). Certain 16- and 17-year-olds may also apply to be student poll workers.
- Is this paid or volunteer work? You can choose to be paid or to volunteer your time. The pay varies depending on location and whether you will be performing extra duties such as head judge. The base pay for a poll worker in Minneapolis is $17/hour.
- Can I work at the same place I vote? Yes, you can, although family members may not work together. Candidates and their household members may not work in a place where the candidate is on the ballot. Because of the lack of local judges in some neighborhoods and the need for judges from different political parties, judges may be asked to work in other precincts in their county or city.
- Will I need to attend training? Yes, you will need to attend a 2–3-hour training session. This is generally paid, unless you are volunteering. Most places offer multiple days and times for training, including nights and weekends.
- How long will I work on election day? Many places allow you to work either a morning (6am to 1 pm) or afternoon (1 pm to 8 pm) shift. However, depending on the number of election judges in the precinct, you may be asked to work the entire day from setup (around 6 am) until after the polls are closed and the counting of ballots and take down of equipment are complete (about 8 or 9 pm).
- What if I work – will I need to use vacation time? No, you cannot be required to take vacation time. Provided you give your employer 20 days’ notice before an election, they must give you paid time off to work as an election judge. The law does allow them to reduce the amount they pay you by the amount you are paid to be an election judge. You can choose to take vacation time and then also retain your election judge pay. The Minnesota Secretary of State website listed above provides more details on this issue.
Please share this information with family, friends, and colleagues. We need to fully staff our polling places to ensure free and fair elections.
Why lobby for an Equal Rights Amendment
to the State Constitution?
- Many people believe gender equality is the law of the land but neither the state nor federal constitution specifically provides equal legal protection regardless of gender under the law.
- Even though 38 states ratified the national equal rights amendment, they did not do so within the time frame set for ratification in the authorizing legislation.
- Bills have been introduced at the federal level to remove the ratification deadline. In the meantime, more than 20 states have included this protection in their state constitutions (see the states HERE).
- Early in the 2024 legislative session will be our best chance to help pass a bill to vote on adding an equal rights amendment to the Minnesota Constitution!
Put your support in writing! We are encouraging all members to to call, write, or email their State Senators and Representatives supporting equal rights for all – regardless of gender.
Find contact information for your State Representative and Senator HERE.
Suggested text for your letter: Word Format — PDF Format
BRAND NEW: National Two-Minute Activist page for STATE activism. While hard copy letters will still have the greatest impact with legislators, use THIS LINK if you prefer to make your support for MN ERA known electronically. Take a few minutes to personalize the message if you use this link – your message will automatically be sent to your MN Representative and Senator.
More information on the ERA and ERA Minnesota:
Join Kelsey Waits, AAUW MN VP Public Policy, as she reviews a brief history of ERA efforts including why we need it, arguments for and against, why now, and next steps. Video Link
Slides provided by ERA Minnesota.
Branch Advocacy Initiative
Thanks to everyone who responded to the Public Policy & Environment Committee’s Branch Advocacy Survey. The results were used to prepare a resolution on advocacy that was approved by our membership at our 4/25/23 Annual Meeting.
Click HERE to read the survey report.
Click HERE to review the approved resolution.
Watch for emails from our committee and visit this page regularly to get updates and information on actions you can take on important issues.
Take Action on Managing Water Resources
Many thanks to Maggie Karschnia for a very informative
and action-oriented presentation.
Slides and graphics used with her permission.
In addition to her work at the U’s Water Resources Center and Sea Grant Minnesota, Maggie serves on the Board of the Minnesota Association for Environmental Education. You can learn more about how MAEE works to strengthen the role of education as a solution to our environmental and societal challenges HERE.
Other Resources for Taking Action
- Find your Federal and State legislators here.
- Go to https://www.mnvotes.org/ to access comprehensive elections and voting information, including registration and absentee ballots, at the MN Secretary of State website.
- Set up a MyBills account: MyBills allows you to track House and Senate bills in the Minnesota State Legislature by bill number and topic. When you log in, your bills will be listed along with information about recent or upcoming significant action. You must log in to see this information, MyBills does not send email alerts.
- Check on individual bills of interest to you in the Minnesota State Legislature here.
Links to other organizations involved in advocacy:
- The Minnesota Women’s Consortium – now WoMN ACT® (Advocate, Collaborate, Transform): https://www.womnact.org/
- League of Women Voters of Minnesota: https://www.lwvmn.org/
- LWV of St. Paul: https://lwvsp.org/
- LWV Minneapolis: https://lwvmpls.org/
- League of Women Voters 2020 Election Report: https://www.lwv.org/expanding-voter-access/2020-election-impact-report