The Minneapolis DFL fight over when to hold the Ward 2 convention is now settled.
Two DFL Ward 2 Committee members, Anthony Scallon and Karen Karkula, filed a lawsuit Monday, April 28 in Hennepin County District Court against the DFL to move the convention to June 1. The convention, which ended with no candidates receiving the DFL endorsement, was held on Saturday.
The lawsuit was unsuccessful, as Hennepin County Judge Karen Janisch denied a motion to move the convention from Saturday to June 1.
Ward 2 incumbent Council Member Robin Wonsley, a registered independent who identifies as a democratic socialist, did not pursue the DFL endorsement. The lawsuit claimed she attempted to prevent “a strong candidate” from securing the DFL endorsement, aiming to run unopposed.
While Wonsley, as an independent, can not receive the Ward 2 DFL endorsement, she is allowed to encourage registered Ward 2 DFL voters to advocate for no endorsement. The only candidates who sought the Ward 2 DFL endorsement are Michael Baskins, Alexander Fooy and Shelley Madore. Ultimately, no candidate was endorsed.
A weeklong scheduling battle took place in late April, where the Ward 2 convention date was pushed from Saturday to June 7, then to June 1, before returning to Saturday.
The effort to hold the convention on Saturday stems from the large college student population residing on the University of Minnesota campus in Ward 2. About 25% of the convention’s elected delegates live in dormitories, which are inaccessible after the semester ends, according to a statement from the University College Democrats. If the convention had been pushed back to June 1, these students would have left campus for summer break.
“Moving the convention date to after the school year would have robbed students of their voice in the DFL endorsement process. There are a lot of feelings involved in campaigns and elections, and there are a lot of people who would like to see their chosen candidate win an endorsement, but that doesn’t mean you can skirt the rules and disenfranchise young voters. I’m glad that the court recognized that,” said Briana Rose Lee, the chair emerita of the Minneapolis DFL.
University College Democrats issued a press release condemning the lawsuit as an attempt to “silence their votes.”
“After a tough election year where youth turnout is top of mind, this is exactly the kind of action that drives young voters away,” Kavya Nair, the president of the University’s College Democrats, said in a statement. “We’re here because we believe in the process. Don’t shut the door on us.”
The lawsuit claimed that the Ward 2 precinct caucus had such a high turnout that the originally planned venue for the convention was deemed insufficient and the party could not secure a larger location for Saturday.
Scallon and Karkula alleged in a memorandum filed Wednesday that since many students will leave Minneapolis in the summer, they are not “eligible residents.” According to the Minnesota Secretary of State website, anyone who is at least 18 years old and a resident of Minnesota for at least 20 days can vote in Minnesota.
“Any attempt to reschedule or cancel the convention suppresses the voices of student voters. When students raised concerns about this attempted disenfranchisement, my campaign immediately amplified their concerns,” Wonsley said in a statement. “All residents deserve a fair and democratic process in local elections, regardless of political affiliation.”