On Feb. 5, MN Governor Tim Walz issued a writ of special election, which sets the date for the House District 40B special election on Jan. 25. House District 40B is historically a district aligned with the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL), and after the seat was vacated last year due to a court ruling. Since then a power struggle has been taking place in the House over whether Republicans or Democrats have a legislative majority.

What came out of this struggle was 31 days of inactivity in the Minnesota House as Democrats boycotted the sessions to deny Republicans a quorum, which is the minimum number of legislative members that are needed to proceed with sessions. These were 31 days where the House was completely absent. 31 days of legislative absence that are unaccountable by Minnesotans, or any civilian oversight over the House. The boycott was done without any democratic process that consulted the willingness on behalf of Minnesotans. The Minnesota Republican Party threatened to recall elections of all Democrats who boycotted, which has been the only measure of democratic accountability put forward, albeit contorted.

The delay in legislative sessions impacts all Minnesotans. It prevents bills from being passed, including on the annual state budget. Delays have such a huge impact that they should be accountable to the voters of Minnesota, yet they can happen at any time and for any reason that lawmakers give. At the same time, any measures that the opposing party takes in response to a delay should also have the ability for input from the public.

Without this measure of democracy, legislative sessions can essentially be canceled at any time. This can be a serious problem if a bill is being reviewed and a party finds it politically expedient to deny voting on it. On issues like abortion, immigration policy and climate law, this will matter, as a party could hamper Minnesotans’ voice on these topics. Since many states are either left-leaning or right-leaning, legislative delays on these issues effectively silence the political opinions of these representatives’ constituents. Americans have seen how immediate legislative decisions can affect their lives, such as the Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision. It is critical that Americans have immediate access to weighing in on these issues on a state-wide level before that of other decision-making bodies.

While Minnesotans do have other avenues of making their opinions heard, the state legislative body is arguably the most powerful and decisive. Just like how federal judges and Congress remain largely unaccountable since they cannot be impeached, recalled or replaced due to a popular vote, state legislators also have few built-in inhibitions to commencing a delay.

In light of the debate on the definition of a quorum and the battle for House seats, the people of Minnesota should be allowed to weigh in. Delaying sessions as a political tactic is out of place with the struggle to make our political system more democratic, as well as make our state representatives more accountable. No matter the reasoning, a popular vote should take place in the case of a legislative delay or “stay.”