Minnesota voters marked their participation in the midterm elections by leaving “I Voted” stickers at memorial sites for Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, and Renee Nicole Good, a writer and mother of three, both killed during a large-scale immigration enforcement operation earlier this year. The operation, dubbed “Operation Metro Surge,” targeted the Minneapolis region and prompted community organizing to counter arrests. The deaths of Pretti and Good have become a focal point for voters in Minnesota, who are choosing a Senator, governor, and House candidates.
Arne, a retired physician who knew Pretti, described the nurse as a “competent” and “liked guy” and stated, “He was assassinated.” He left his sticker at the memorial, expressing his frustration with the current administration, saying, “The country has humiliated itself by putting in a bad man, a very, very bad character.” He added, “Today is a chance for America to say whether they support this kind of thing,” and went on to say, “then fuck America” if they do not oppose it.
Mike F, who withheld his last name, left his sticker at Good’s memorial, stating, “I felt like my vote felt a little bit more in touch with some of the things that happened earlier this year in the city…So I felt like it was just the right thing to do, to come pay some respects and attach my vote to what happened here.”
Community groups initially formed rapid response teams to prevent arrests during “Operation Metro Surge,” but many have now shifted their focus to the elections. Reverend Shandon Klein of Park Avenue United Methodist church was present at a polling place, aiming to be a “non-anxious presence” and ensure voting access. No federal law enforcement officials have been observed at polling sites, despite threats from the Trump administration to deploy them. The Hill reported that the state was the site of one of the country’s largest immigration enforcement operations.
Our reading is that some voters are explicitly connecting their participation in the midterm elections to the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, viewing their votes as a form of protest or remembrance. The act of placing “I Voted” stickers at the memorials suggests a deliberate attempt to draw a direct line between the political process and the perceived injustices surrounding the immigration enforcement operation. While the article notes community organizing shifted to elections, this symbolic act demonstrates continued, visceral emotional response to the events.
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