Naturalization Ceremonies
Registering New Citizens to Vote
Throughout our participation at the Naturalization Ceremonies, we have adhered to our mission as a nonpartisan organization. We do not support or oppose candidates; rather, we support positions studied and voted on by our members, at both a state and national level. We work to register voters because we believe a healthier community results when everyone is encouraged to be involved.
For many people, the role of the League of Women Voters in the Naturalization Ceremonies is the face of the League. It is how many League members came to know about the work of the League, and why they sought membership. Today, the League’s voter registration efforts at Naturalization Ceremonies is an integral part of the naturalization process, conducted on the date new citizens are sworn in.
We are all generally aware that new citizens must go through a swearing-in ceremony set up by the Immigration Service and presided over by federal judges. What we may not know is that voter registration is not mandated at these ceremonies. Without the League participation in the Ceremonies going smoothly month after month, year after year, we would not be there.
How to Volunteer
Ceremony dates are posted on our Events Calendar and include instructions for how members can volunteer/get involved.
Get Notified
Members wishing to be notified when new ceremonies are announced can be added to the list by emailing info@lwvmn.org.
Honoring Judy Stuthman
For most of us, our participation at the Ceremonies is automatic. We sign up, arrive on the date we are able to volunteer and go to the task of voter registration. It has gone so smoothly, for so long, that we forget (if we ever knew), that our presence here was earned, not assumed.
Judy has served in many capacities with the League, and has contributed in more ways than we can count. That said, her legacy is and will be, her establishment of the League presence at the Naturalization Ceremonies in Minnesota.
Judy Stuthman has dedicated the better part of the past 20 years working to support voter registration at the Naturalization Ceremonies in Minnesota. Judy has traveled to various cities and venues, transporting the voter registration forms and providing instruction to new citizens. She has coordinated, trained and supported volunteers in their efforts to assist with the process.
Judy has earned the trust and respect of all those with whom she works: new citizens, Immigration Service personnel and the federal judges. The judges assigned the primary task of voter registration to the League, on the basis of their experience with Judy. She has become a friend and mentor to countless volunteers, carefully monitoring the volunteer lists to ensure the success of the process and the continued support of the judges and the Immigration Service.
In 2014, Judy was honored by the National Association of Secretaries of State with its Medallion Award for her outstanding accomplishments in registering new citizens to vote, and the League looked to copy her work nationally. Read more about her award and her work: How One League Member Helped Register Over 62,000 New Citizens to Vote.
Many of those who have volunteered, and who have joined the League to continue this work, have said that Judy opened the door for them – not just to the Naturalization Ceremonies, but also to the League of Women Voters. Judy is the face of the League for the Naturalization Ceremonies. She has given us our place there, and we will work to see that her legacy continues.
Timeline
The League was not always the only participant in the voter registration process at the Ceremonies. Various groups have tried to establish a presence. Here is a short timeline:
1998
The League began to distribute voter registration cards at the end of the ceremony, as new citizens left Benson Great Hall, on the campus of Bethel University in Arden Hills, MN.
2000
A few other organizations showed up to register voters, but we continued our work to distribute cards at the end of each ceremony. In October of this year, the other organizations stopped coming.
2004
JANUARY
Another organization showed up and stated they were there to “help.” They assisted new citizens in filling out the cards, then took the cards to the Secretary of State’s office.
This group continued to show up. It is a partisan organization, but created a spin-off to do the registration. LWV learned that the group received a $1.00 credit from their national affiliate for each card they turned in. The League objected. We felt that new citizens would confuse this group with us. We also questioned their intent and were unsure as to whether the cards would actually be turned in to the Secretary of State within the required 10-day period.
APRIL/MAY
We learned that the new registration cards issued by the Secretary of State’s office had caused numerous problems for everyone. The previous card had less than a 5% error rate. The new card had a 64% error rate. League volunteers began to help people fill out the new card after the ceremony.
Numerous organizations began to show up to register voters. It became very confusing as to which organization(s) were represented. The other groups had paid staff to do their registration and were also collecting names and contact info from the cards to add to their database.
MID-SUMMER
Judge Franke (Senior Judge, US District Court, State of Minnesota) declared that the League was the only organization that could do the registering within the Great Hall (Benson). The League allowed other groups to help if they turned over the cards immediately, to be sure no data was collected and that the cards were turned in to the Secretary of State promptly.
SEPTEMBER
The League was allowed to make a statement to the new citizens and help them fill out the cards prior to the ceremony. The statement was approved by Judge Franke. It was at this time the League had Hmong and Somali “Friends of the League” make statements in their own languages. We felt this helped with the trust issue on the part of the new citizens. Other groups were still showing up, but their impact was limited. They stopped showing up in October and there have been none since.
2006
The ceremonies were moved to the Convention Center in Minneapolis. There was some discussion with the Immigration Service about when voter registration cards could be passed out. Immigration wanted the League to wait until the end of the ceremony; however, that process was resulting in fewer voters being registered. Judge Franke again supported the League and requested that Immigration include a voter registration form in the packet new citizens received on the day of their ceremony. A League representative was to make an announcement at the beginning of the ceremony, informing new citizens that the form was in their packet, and providing instructions as to how to fill it out. After the ceremony, the League would have tables set up outside the auditorium (or other venue) to assist the citizens and collect the forms.
For a number of years, this format was followed. When the primary venue for the ceremonies was again moved, to RiverCentre in St. Paul, the role of League volunteers was somewhat expanded. A League representative would make a short speech ahead of the ceremonies, as before, but now League volunteers would circulate up and down the rows of seats, providing assistance on the spot. Then, as the new citizens departed, the volunteers would collect the completed forms and compile them for delivery to the Secretary of State immediately after the ceremony.
2020
With the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, both the procedures and the venue had to be changed. A number of ceremonies were held outside at the Federal Courthouse in Minneapolis. But through it all, League volunteers made sure that voter registration continued.
2021
Ceremonies were again allowed to be held at RiverCentre. However, due to COVID-19, the format was changed so that League volunteers were only allowed in the hall outside the ballroom. The registration forms were still included in the packets, and new citizens were encouraged to fill out the forms right away. The League assisted hundreds of new citizens at every ceremony. All completed forms are delivered to the Secretary of State immediately after the ceremony.
Today
Over the years, the League has adapted to the changing conditions at the Naturalization Ceremonies. Judy has ensured that the League has risen to the occasion with grace, dignity and efficiency. The face of the League remains a welcome one by new citizens, the federal judges and the Immigration Service. We’ve earned our position there and will work to preserve it.
