Our Positions

Program For Action • 2023-2025

LWV Minnesota’s positions on a broad range of public policy issues are its Program For Action. Because LWV Minnesota is part of LWV United States, it automatically adopts all positions within their Impact on the Issues publication. Our Program For Action provides an overview of the US positions alongside the state-specific positions LWV Minnesota has adopted as well.

Core Issues

LWVMN works on at least one of these issues almost every year in some way. While we have positions and take action on other issues, these are issues most relevant to our mission of empowering voters and defending democracy. They tend to receive higher priority than other issues.

• Voting & Election Administration

• Redistricting Reform

• Money in Politics

• Restore the Vote

Summaries for Other Select Positions

Immigration

Promote reunification of immediate families; meet the economic, business and employment needs of the United States; be responsive to those facing political persecution or humanitarian crises; and provide for student visas. Ensure fair treatment under the law for all persons. In transition to a reformed system, support provisions for unauthorized immigrants already in the country to earn legal status.

Support incorporating immigrants into our communities by providing access to education, by endorsing the development of secure identification documents, and by respecting the right of law enforcement personnel to perform their duties without the burden of interpreting federal immigration policies. Oppose residents with legal immigrant status running for local office.

Public Education

All Minnesota children should have equal access to a good public education. State funding for education should be at a level that makes programs of comparable substance and quality available to all. A student’s access to a good education should not depend on the wealth of his or her school district.

Health Care

Promote a health care system for the United States that provides access to a basic level of quality care for all U.S. residents, including behavioral health, and controls health care costs. Every U.S. resident should have access to a basic level of care that includes: the prevention of disease; health promotion and education; primary care (including prenatal and reproductive health); acute care; long-term care; mental health care.

Support a comprehensive and coordinated system of programs and services for mentally ill adults and emotionally disturbed children and adolescents. Priority should be given to persons with serious and persistent mental illness or acute mental illness. Public policy and funding should sustain an array of community based services which are available and accessible to persons with mental illness. Administration of that policy should provide clients with appropriate and adequate services.

Equality of Opportunity

Support equal access to education, employment and housing. Support policies to ensure equality of opportunity in employment, real property, public accommodations, education and other public services for all persons. Support administrative enforcement of anti-discrimination laws. Support state responsibility for and responsiveness to American Indian citizens.

Natural Resources

Promote resource conservation, stewardship and long-range planning, with the responsibility for managing natural resources shared by all levels of government. Promote measures to reduce pollution from mobile and stationary sources. Development of more energy-efficient transportation systems. Support environmentally sound policies that reduce energy growth rates, emphasize energy conservation and encourage the use of renewable resources.

Support measures to reduce pollution in order to protect surface water, groundwater and drinking water. Support a state role in the preservation and management of Minnesota’s water resources through protection, allocation, conservation, pricing and interbasin transfer policies protective of current and future needs.

Promote policies that reduce the generation and promote the reuse and recycling of solid and hazardous wastes. Support measures to reduce generation of solid waste and ensure safe treatment, storage and disposal of all wastes.

Promote policies that manage land as a finite resource and that incorporate principles of stewardship. Support an overall land use plan with maximum cooperation and implementation at the regional and local level, with state help in developing and exercising land use management, with opportunity for maximum local decision making, and with regional planning and regulation for matters of more than local concern.

Judiciary

Support a judicial system with the capacity to assure a speedy trial and equal justice for all. Selection of judges: (a) Initial appointment of judgeship by the governor, who must choose from among a list of qualified candidates forwarded by a nominating commission. (b) End-of-term evaluation of the judge’s performance by an evaluation commission, results to be made available to the public. (c) Retention election: voters choose to retain or not retain the judge.

How We Adopt Positions

LWVMN adopts positions based on careful study and consensus. To adopt a position, members must conduct sanctioned studies on an issue for a two-year period. The recommendations from the study are brought to the larger body for a vote, and if approved, become part of the official positions supported by LWVMN.

The positions formed through our study process are the basis of our advocacy work. Local LWVs may also adopt positions at the local level relating to local issues. While the League of Women Voters never supports or opposes a political candidate or party, we do advocate for our adopted positions on vital issues of concern to members and the public.