Why every seat (and vote!) matters
In January, Minnesota was one of the states where federal ICE agents engaged in an egregious abuse of power and intentional cruelty. In the weeks that followed, federal agents conducted warrantless arrests, released tear gas and flashbang grenades in residential neighborhoods, and pointed weapons at protesters. Two U.S. citizens were killed.
But when Minnesota state lawmakers tried to create new tools for federal accountability this spring, they couldn’t—they were short one vote.
Lawmakers in the Minnesota Senate passed a policy that would allow residents to sue federal agents in state court for violating their constitutional rights. However, the House is tied, and without a majority, the policy didn’t pass. This policy, which would have given Minnesotans greater recourse against the abuse of federal power, died because the lawmakers who wanted accountability didn’t have governing power in both chambers.
Meanwhile, in Connecticut, state lawmakers passed that same policy this year. Connecticut residents can now take federal agents to state court if their constitutional rights are violated. California, Massachusetts, Illinois, and New Jersey have similar protections in place. Nine more states are currently considering them.
The difference between Minnesota and Connecticut isn’t the will of the lawmakers who want to serve their constituents. It’s the math.
In 2024, if just 80 votes had changed across one seat, the Minnesota House majority would have held. The seat that tied the chamber was won by just eight votes. Just a couple hundred votes across both races, and today, Minnesotans would have greater recourse against federal agents who violate their rights.
The States Project works to close the gap between lawmakers who will work for their constituents and the governing power they need to do so. What we need now is you.
