Minnesotans will Vote on MN Constitutional Amendment this Election

Amid all the elections for pres­ident, vice-president, and legis­latures, Minnesotans will also be voting on an amendment to the Minnesota State Constitution that will include “…extending the trans­fer of proceeds from the state-oper­ated lottery to the environment and natural resources trust fund…”, ac­cording to a quote from the ballot.

Lotteries, which were originally banned in Minnesota, took hold in 1988 after a Minnesota State Con­stitutional Amendment was pro­posed and put before the voters. A 58 percent majority vote led to the establishment of a 1989 law which made the lottery a state agency, and the Minnesota State Lottery was born.

In 1988, an amendment was made to the Minnesota State Constitution “To establish a Minnesota Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund for environmental, natural resources, and wildlife purposes.”, according to the Minnesota Legislature https://www.lrl.mn.gov/mngov/constitutionalamendments. And in 1990, an amendment was made to the Minnesota State Constitution “To dedicate 40 percent of the state lottery proceeds to the environment and natural resources trust fund until the year 2001.”

Voters in 1998 voted to send 40% of Minnesota State Lottery revenue to the Environment and Natural Re­sources Trust Fund. In the 26 years since then, more than $1 billion has been redistributed to conservation causes. However, this 40% towards environmental causes will end in 2025, unless the amendment pass­es, enshrining the 40% until 2050. This amendment will also include a new provision that provides 1.5% of lottery funds to support projects in underserved communities.

A “yes” vote on the ballot will mean that yes, you want the lottery funds to continue going towards nature and conservation causes. A “no” vote means the opposite, and leaving the spot on the ballot blank is the same as voting “no”. At least 50% of Minnesota voters must vote “yes” for the amendment to move forward.

The 40% allocation of funds comes up on the ballot every 25 years, as it is required to reaffirm that Minnesota voters still want the lottery funds going towards conservation. If the amendment is voted down, funds will divert to the state’s general fund.