Star-Tribune:

Minnesota is one of 22 states where felons cannot vote until they complete post-incarceration supervision, such as probation or parole. Brown-Goodell’s is the latest in a growing chorus of voices leading a renewed charge to change that, a move that could affect 50,000 to 60,000 Minnesotans like her.

She can now count among her allies Minnesota’s newly sworn-in statewide officeholders and key law enforcement leaders in addition to the advocates who have been lobbying for change for more than a decade. Supporters say restoring voting rights would be a crucial step toward helping felons reintegrate into society in a state with one of the nation’s highest rates of people on probation.

This latest push comes on the heels of Florida voters overwhelmingly restoring voting rights to more than 1 million felons. During his inaugural address last month, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon drew some of the day’s loudest applause when he called for broadening felon voting rights here.