"Our Democracy at a Crossroads: Voting Rights in Minnesota"
- Virtual Event-
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
7:00 - 8:00 pm
Zoom link will be made available closer to the time of the event.
- Virtual Event-
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
7:00 - 8:00 pm
Zoom link will be made available closer to the time of the event.
Join in the conversation with State Representative Emma Greenman, State Representative Jennifer Schultz, and Duluth City Clerk Chelsea Helmer. You will learn about upcoming legislative bills being introduced in Minnesota, how they are being influenced by restrictive voting bills passed in other states and how that affects us in Duluth. The goal is to end the evening with an action plan to ensure that voting in Minnesota remains accessible to all eligible voters.
Emma Greenman was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in November 2020, representing District 63B. Prior to this, she worked as Director of Voting Rights and Democracy for the Center for Popular Democracy where she worked with local partners in Minnesota and around the country to build an inclusive democracy and fight against voter suppression and disenfranchisement. Representative Greenman has a B.A. in political science from George Washington University, a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, and a Juris Degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Her career experience includes continuing work as an attorney. She currently holds four committee assignments, including the House Redistricting Committee, as well as the State Government and Elections Committee, which hears all election-related bills.
Jennifer Schultz represents District 7A in the Minnesota House of Representatives, serving the eastern portion of the city of Duluth. Currently serving her fourth term, she is the Chair of the House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee. In 2020, she passed a robust HHS budget bill with significant funding for personal care assistants and home and community-based services. In 2019, she championed a groundbreaking package of eldercare reforms to protect Minnesotans living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. She also serves on the Taxes Committee, the Health Finance & Policy Committee and the Redistricting Committee. Outside the Legislature, she is a professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth in the Department of Economics and is Director of the Health Care Management Program. Her fields of research include health economics, health insurance, and health policy. She received her M.A. in economics at Washington State University and her Ph.D. in economics and health services research from the University of Minnesota.
Chelsea Helmer grew up in the Duluth area and earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Minnesota Duluth. She holds a law degree, summa cum laude, from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law, where she was a Dean's Scholarship Award recipient. Ms. Helmer holds the position of Director of Administrative Services with the city of Duluth, managing the Information Technology, Human Resources and City Clerk Divisions. She also carries out the role of City Clerk, a position she has held since 2018. Ms. Helmer has extensive experience working in municipal government. Prior to her role with the city of Duluth, she served as an associate attorney at the law firm of Maki & Overom, Ltd. where she provided legal support to local governments in the region. She also previously served as a research law clerk for the League of Minnesota Cities. Ms. Helmer is a past president of the League of Women Voters of Duluth and served on the Board of Directors of that organization for six years.