HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 143-20 - Supporting Legislative Action to Keep Elections Safe in 2020
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the City of Rochester supports efforts to ensure voting in 2020 is a safe,
accessible experience for all voters, as well as the poll workers and public employees
who make the voting process possible. This includes prioritizing anything that helps move
as many voters to mail as possible, as that helps make the in-person voting process safer
for everyone by reducing the number of Election Day voters, making it easier to keep both
voters and poll workers safer. The City views this strictly as an issue of health, safety and
access, and implores our state elected officials to do the same.
WHEREAS, Rochester supports making voting by mail fully accessible for any eligible
Minnesotan. Other states like Utah and Colorado have successfully conducted their
elections almost exclusively by mail for multiple years. This option provides voters and
election workers alike the maximum assurances of personal health and safety. Statutory
provisions to ensure a mail ballot is accessible to every Rochester voter who wishes to
vote that way and that their vote can be successfully counted are critically important in
this time. At a minimum, jurisdictions must be afforded more time to process ballots before
Election Day to ensure every legally cast ballot gets counted.
WHEREAS, because there will be a high level of interest by voters in taking advantage
of the existing ability under state law for any voter to vote by mail, there will be surges in
requests for mail ballots. In some instances, that may mean even a request two or three
weeks in advance (or more) may not always be fulfilled in time for voters to receive their
ballots to vote. One way to help ensure every voter who wants to vote by mail can do so
is by mailing a ballot to every registered voter at the opening of the absentee ballot period.
WHEREAS, the City recognizes not everyone wants to or is able to vote by mail. There
must be options for those voters to cast a ballot in person, and that process must be made
as safe as possible. Rochester applauds the legislature for the work that has been done
to consider areas of consensus for shifts to election law in the time of COVID-19. The City
strongly supports the essential provisions being pursued in bipartisan elections
legislation, such as what is represented in HF 3429 and its Senate companion, SF3494,
including:
a. Allowing jurisdictions more time to process absentee ballots starting 14 days
before Election Day.
b. Flexibility to make polling place changes up until July 1, 2020, to ensure those
locations currently in vulnerable facilities can be relocated in a manner that makes
sense for voters and facilities alike.
c. Allowing employees of health care facilities and hospitals to administer absentee
voting to patients or residents of those facilities.
d. Addressing challenges with requirements for in-person candidate filing, which will
begin on May 19, 2020, by offering options to eliminate the need to do that in
person, protecting candidates and public employees alike.
e. Freeing access to Help American Vote Act (HAVA) funding allocated by Congress
in December 2019 and as part of the March 2020 CARES Act for critical election
security and safety funding, including specifically supporting efforts to lessen the
impact of COVID-19 on the 2020 election cycle.
BE IT RESOLVED: the Common Council of the City of Rochester supports adding
provisions to make voting safe and accessible to the City’s legislative agenda and directs
legislative staff to advocate for the safety and wellbeing of Rochester voters, poll workers,
and city teammates in pursuing legislative action in this crucial realm.
PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA, THIS __________ DAY OF _______________, 2020.
___________________________________
PRESIDENT OF SAID COMMON COUNCIL
ATTEST: __________________________
CITY CLERK
APPROVED THIS _____ DAY OF ______________________, 2020.
___________________________________
MAYOR OF SAID CITY
(Seal of the City of
Rochester, Minnesota)