Joan Growe
Encyclopedia
Joan Anderson Growe is a former Secretary of State of Minnesota
, serving from 1975–1999. Known for her work to encourage voter participation, her tenure was one of the longest of any secretary of state in Minnesota's history. In 1984, she unsuccessfully challenged Republican
U.S. Senator Rudy Boschwitz
, losing the election with 41% of the vote.
Before running for secretary of state, Growe was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from 1973–1974, representing the old District 40A, which included portions of Hennepin County
in the Twin Cities
metro area. While in the House, she served on the Crime Prevention and Corrections, the Education, the Judiciary, and the
Metropolitan and Urban Affairs committees.
As a state legislator, Growe supported the Minnesota same-day voter registration law (the first in the country) and later, as Secretary of State, worked to implement it. Since then, Minnesota has consistently had the highest voter turnout in the United States.
Growe is widely recognized as an expert on voting and elections, and has been selected to serve as an official election observer in various foreign elections. She is also on the advisory committee for the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
at the University of Minnesota
.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, serving from 1975–1999. Known for her work to encourage voter participation, her tenure was one of the longest of any secretary of state in Minnesota's history. In 1984, she unsuccessfully challenged Republican
Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
U.S. Senator Rudy Boschwitz
Rudy Boschwitz
Rudolph Ely "Rudy" Boschwitz is a former Independent-Republican United States Senator from Minnesota. He served in the Senate from December 1978 to January 1991, in the 96th, 97th, 98th, 99th, 100th, and 101st congresses. He was then defeated by Paul Wellstone.-Life and career:Boschwitz was born...
, losing the election with 41% of the vote.
Before running for secretary of state, Growe was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
from 1973–1974, representing the old District 40A, which included portions of Hennepin County
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Hennepin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. As of 2010 the population was 1,152,425. Its county seat is Minneapolis. It is by far the most populous county in Minnesota; more than one in five Minnesotans live...
in the Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
metro area. While in the House, she served on the Crime Prevention and Corrections, the Education, the Judiciary, and the
Metropolitan and Urban Affairs committees.
As a state legislator, Growe supported the Minnesota same-day voter registration law (the first in the country) and later, as Secretary of State, worked to implement it. Since then, Minnesota has consistently had the highest voter turnout in the United States.
Growe is widely recognized as an expert on voting and elections, and has been selected to serve as an official election observer in various foreign elections. She is also on the advisory committee for the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
The Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs is a graduate public affairs school located at the University of Minnesota, ranking among the top 15 professional schools of public affairs at public universities in the country. It is named after Hubert H. Humphrey, former Vice President of the...
at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
.