The Anti-Saloon League, Women's Christian Temperance Union, and others for Prohibition campaigned hard to ban alcohol in Minnesota. Many state legislators supported these efforts, and the "Minnesota Prohibit Alcohol Amendment" was on the state ballot on Election Day 1918. The amendment would have been a permanent addition to the Minnesota Constitution. It required a majority of votes to pass, but when the votes were tallied, the amendment was 688 votes short of a majority.

The 18th amendment to the Constitution, which banned the sale, manufacture and transportation of alcohol, was ratified by three-quarters of the states in January 1919. Minnesota was the 37th state to ratify, with votes of 92-36 in the House and 48-11 in the Senate.