Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signs the "Democracy for the People Act" on May 5, 2023, in St. Paul, Minn. Steve Karnowski/AP.
Kamala Harris’ decision to pick Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday coincided with the 59th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
It was a fitting coincidence—Minnesota has long ranked at the top of the country in voter turnout, pioneering pro-voter reforms like Election Day registration, and as governor Walz signed bill after bill expanding access to the ballot and safeguarding the right to vote.
“Governor Walz made Minnesota a national model for protecting our democracy and the freedom to vote,” Sean Eldridge, president of Stand Up America, a progressive advocacy group, said on Tuesday morning.
In May 2023, after Minnesota elected a Democratic legislature in the 2022........