The Minnesota House of Representatives is back in business for the 2025 legislative session. I am honored to be reelected and to serve District 20A. The committees I was chosen to serve on are the Education Finance and the Children and Families Finance and Policy committees, and I was recently named vice-chair of the Elections Finance and Government Operations committee.
Being trusted to be the vice-chair the elections committee is something I take very seriously and will be working to find common sense solutions to tighten up election laws.
Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, everyone should want to ensure that our elections are not only transparent, fair, and accurate, but can also be validated. No one likes to wait two months after an election to determine who the winner is. No one wants courts to be forced to get involved. No one should be in a situation where 20 ballots were thrown in the trash can. All of which just recently happened in a Minnesota House race near Shakopee. None of this lends itself to having faith in our elections system.
I also want to look at other states and find out what they do differently than here. So many Minnesotans are growing tired of election-related headaches, and I’m hoping we can look for ways to improve our system and bolster confidence.
You may have seen in the news lately there has been a struggle for power in the Minnesota House of Representatives and the issues have been over elections which are being contested in the courts. A term that would have started out in a 67-67 tie is now a 67-66 Republican majority. This is due to a court case which found overwhelming evidence that a Democrat candidate failed to live in the district of which he chose to run for office.
During my first term in office, a common theme was that everything was “historic,” such as the historic surplus and historic spending. I really thought we were going to put these “historic” years behind us at the Capitol and get to work. However, with the Democrats refusing to come to the Capitol on January 14th to be sworn in with us, we are not seeing normal. They are threatening to stay home until the House is back to a 67-67 tie (no guarantees), so it’s clear we’re all going to need to hold on tight again this year as we are going to continue plowing historic ground!
It is truly my honor to serve you, and the best way for me to do that is to know how you feel. Please contact me any time at 651-296-8635 or by email at rep.pam.altendorf@house.mn.gov. I look forward to hearing from you!