Democrats sue to overturn Minnesota ban on voter assistance

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Two national Democratic groups are suing to overturn Minnesota’s limits on assisting voters.

Minnesota law prevents an individual from helping more than three registered voters fill out a ballot or submit an absentee ballot. The groups challenging the law argue those limits are unconstitutional and especially discriminate against older voters, non-English speakers and people with disabilities, the Star Tribune reported Thursday.

The lawsuit was filed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the political arms, respectively, of U.S. House and Senate Democrats.

The groups contend that Minnesota’s law contradicts federal law requiring that “any voter who requires assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write may be given assistance by a person of the voter’s choice.”

The groups also note that Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon has urged the Legislature to repeal the limits.

Last year, a bill sponsored by state Rep. Samantha Vang, a St. Paul Democrat, to lift the ban on voter assistance cleared the Minnesota House but stalled in the state Senate.

National Democratic groups have been challenging state laws around the country that put limits on voting.