Does your vote really matter?

The reality: Life-or-death policies in Minnesota often hinge on a single legislative race decided by a small number of votes.

In the 2022 election, abortion supporters secured a single-seat majority in the Minnesota state Senate after winning one race by just 321 votes. They used that narrow margin to pass an abortion-up-to-birth law, repeal the guarantee of lifesaving care for born-alive infants, and abolish the Positive Alternatives grant program that supported pregnant women. More than 14,000 unborn babies now die from abortion each year, a 42 percent increase since 2021.

In the 2024 election, the reverse happened. Pro-life candidates gained just enough seats to create a tie in the state House—after one pro-life candidate won her race by a mere 160 votes! That tie has blocked abortion supporters (for the time being) from passing additional extreme measures, including a constitutional amendment bill aiming to enshrine unlimited abortion in the Minnesota Constitution.

The problem: 30 percent of pro-lifers don’t vote!

A significant number of pro-life Minnesotans don’t consistently vote in elections. It’s enough to change the outcome in lots of races—and more than enough to determine the balance of power in St. Paul. If all pro-lifers voted, they would swing elections, defeat abortion extremism, and save many, many more unborn children.

Vulnerable lives won’t be protected when pro-lifers sit on the sidelines.

The stakes: What’s on the line in 2026?

Currently, the Minnesota Senate maintains a one-seat pro-abortion majority. The Minnesota House is still tied. The entire House and Senate are up for election in 2026. So are the governorship and other state offices (attorney general, state auditor, and secretary of state). At the federal level, every U.S. House seat and one of Minnesota’s U.S. Senate seats are on the ballot.

What’s at stake in Minnesota? If abortion advocates regain full control of the state legislature, they could advance the proposed abortion-up-to-birth constitutional amendment to (almost permanently) prevent protections for unborn babies at any stage of pregnancy. By contrast, if pro-life candidates win, they can begin restoring commonsense support for pregnant women, babies, and other innocent human lives.

The solution: What can you do?

Commit now to voting on or before Aug. 11 (primary election) and Nov. 3 (general election). Talk to five other people you know about the importance of voting. You might offer to go together to the polls on Election Day.

Visit mccl.org/election to see MCCL’s pro-life voter’s guide and other election information. Go to mnvotes.org to register to vote, apply for an absentee ballot, find your polling place, view a sample ballot, and more.

Please remember: Your vote—in both the primary and general elections—matters for vulnerable human beings in Minnesota. They have no voice and no vote. They depend on us!