NAACP Minnesota-Dakotas Area State Conference v. Simon

The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Minnesota, and Faegre Drinker LLP are suing Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon seeking to make voting safer in Minnesota in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lawsuit, filed June 5, 2020, on behalf of the NAACP and individual voters, is asking that absentee ballots be sent to all registered voters, and that a requirement that forces voters to get a witness to sign their ballot envelope be suspended due to the risk of exposure to COVID-19.

The witness requirement and lack of universal absentee ballots could disenfranchise thousands of eligible voters who cannot risk contact with other individuals to obtain a witness signature on their absentee ballot or to vote in person.