Minnesota and North Dakota Voter's Guide

Forum Communications Co., in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Minnesota and of North Dakota, is providing this voter guide to help keep you informed ahead of the 2024 election.

  • Learn where candidates running for office in your community stand on the issues.
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Voter Guide

Minnesota State House District 27A

House - State Representatives serve in the Minnesota House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the state legislature. They write and vote on legislation to create, repeal, or change state laws affecting many issues, like health care, the environment, and the economy. They also vote on state taxes and state spending.

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  • Candidate picture

    Vanessa Davenport
    (DFL)

  • Candidate picture

    Shane Mekeland
    (Rep)

Biographical Information

If elected, what will your top three priorities be and why? (750 characters)

What will you do to support a vibrant economy across Minnesota and to address inflation? (500 characters)

What legislation, if any, would you support to address racial or ethnic disparities in Minnesota? (500 characters)

Do you support the adoption of a ballot issue to add the Equal Rights Amendment into the Minnesota State Constitution why or why not? (500 characters)

What legislation, if any, would you support to protect clean air and water in Minnesota? (500 characters)

What legislation, if any, would you support to meet the need for safe communities? (500 characters)

What changes to legislation would you support to reduce the influence of big money in elections? (500 characters)

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My top priorities are government accountability, reliable energy, and responsible data center growth. Government should answer to voters, not wealthy special interests. I support stronger political-spending disclosure, closing coordination loopholes, and transparency in public spending. Minnesota also needs affordable, reliable energy and a resilient grid, including reconsidering the nuclear moratorium with strong ratepayer protections and public oversight. Finally, data centers must pay their infrastructure, grid, and water costs, not local families, and communities deserve a meaningful voice in these projects.
Minnesota needs an economy where small businesses can grow and families can afford to live. I support modernizing state systems so taxpayers and legislators can see where money goes, what works, and what doesn’t. We should eliminate waste, invest in programs that deliver results, support local entrepreneurs and small businesses, strengthen workforce development, and reduce major household costs like energy, healthcare, childcare, and housing.
We cannot address disparities without understanding how they developed. I support teaching accurate history, including slavery, discrimination, Native American displacement, and other injustices that shaped our communities. We should not hide uncomfortable truths. I also support addressing disparities in healthcare, housing, education, and employment, while requiring state programs to produce measurable results and provide equal opportunity for every Minnesotan.
Yes. I support putting the Equal Rights Amendment before Minnesota voters. At a time when fundamental rights are being debated and challenged across our country, equal protection under the law should be a constitutional guarantee, not something that changes with political leadership. Every Minnesotan deserves equal treatment regardless of race, sex, disability, or background. Protecting individual rights and freedoms should never be a partisan issue.
Yes. Clean air and water are not optional. I support strong protections for Minnesota’s water and air, with polluters—not taxpayers—responsible for environmental damage. Major industrial projects and data centers should undergo regular, independent third-party environmental audits during construction and throughout operation, with results made public automatically. We can support economic growth while protecting our communities, water, and natural resources.
I support fully prosecuting violent crime and giving law enforcement the resources needed to keep communities safe. But officers are asked to handle too many problems that are not primarily criminal. I support specialized mental health and crisis-response teams that can work alongside law enforcement, allowing officers to focus on crime and public safety. We should also improve agency coordination, prevention, and efforts to keep illegal firearms out of the hands of criminals.
Government should answer to voters, not wealthy donors or corporate interests. I support stronger disclosure of political spending, closing coordination loopholes, and expanding Minnesota's Political Contribution Refund program. I also want Minnesota to examine Hawaii's new law restricting corporate election spending and Montana's proposed reforms. We should pursue every constitutionally sound option to give everyday voters a stronger voice in our elections.
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The League of Women Voters of Minnesota and North Dakota crafted the questions sent to the candidates in the Spring of 2024. They reached out to candidates based on contact information in their public candidate filings. Candidates with email addresses were invited and reminded with emails. Candidates with only mailing addresses were sent a letter. Candidates with phone numbers received a phone call as well.

Candidate responses are published as they responded and have not been edited, except when responses were longer than the given character limit. In those cases, the responses are truncated.

VOTE411 is brought to you by the League of Women Voters Education Fund and League of Women Voters of Minnesota Education Fund. The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any political party or candidate for office.