A majority of participants in the 2024 Minnesota House of Representatives’ State Fair Poll are in favor of allowing schools and government buildings to make their own decisions when it comes to banning rainbow displays from their properties.
The informal survey, conducted annually by the nonpartisan House Public Information Services Office, tries to capture public opinion on key legislative topics that come before the state’s legislative bodies.
This year’s poll, taken by 7,965 fairgoers, revealed that 56.6% of respondents said governments and school districts should not be prevented from banning rainbow displays if those entities chose to do so. Meanwhile, 36% of poll participants said that government institutions and schools should be prohibited from banning rainbow displays. The remaining 6.8% were undecided or had no opinion.
This question directly relates to a bill authored by Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL-St. Paul, the first transgender member of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Introduced earlier this year, HF 4273 would prohibit “state and local units of government, charter schools, and certain postsecondary institutions from removing or banning the display of items containing a rainbow from the jurisdiction’s property.”
Rainbow displays are commonly used by many groups to demonstrate support for the LGBTQ agenda.
HF 4373 was not passed into law last session, but Rep. Finke was joined by over two dozen other Democratic lawmakers in support of the bill. As such, HF 4373 may return as a priority for Democrats next year.
The state fair poll also found that 68.6% of respondents support prohibiting K-12 students from using cellphones during the school day. Only 20.8% opposed the measure, while 10.6% were undecided.
A newly-passed state law “requires a school district or charter school to adopt a policy on students’ possession and use of cell phones in school by March 15, 2025.”
Additionally, poll participants expressed their support for expanded firearm storage regulations. Nearly 70% of respondents favored a proposal that would require firearm owners to store their guns unloaded and equipped with a locking device or in a secure storage unit. Meanwhile, 22.8% opposed the measure, and 7.4% were undecided.
That question was directly connected to HF 4300, which was passed by the Minnesota House of Representatives last year, but not the Minnesota Senate.
The poll also found strong support for lifting current restrictions on when the Minnesota Legislature can meet: 57.5% favoring allowing legislators to convene at any time of the year, 27.2% opposed the idea, and 15.3% were undecided or had no opinion on the matter.
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
