Quick update from the northern front in the war on voting. Add Minnesota to the list of states where the legislature is on the move to disenfranchise voters.
Today, the House Government Operations and Elections Committee voted along party lines to move a voter ID bill forward. The law would require voters to have a state-issued driver’s license or other approved photo ID and could cost up to $20 million to implement in a state where voter impersonation – the scourge this bill is trying to address – has not been prosecuted once in the aftermath of two razor-close and highly scrutinized elections in 2008 and 2010.
Here is a news report on the latest from the Associated Press and KAAL-TV:
GOP Voter ID Measure Passes First Capitol Hurdle
A state House committee has given the first stamp of approval to a Republican proposal that would require all Minnesotans to present a photo ID in order to vote.
The House Government Operations and Elections Committee approved the measure on a 9-6 vote with all Republicans in favor and all Democrats opposed.
Backers of the bill say requiring a picture ID would cut down on voter fraud and make the voting process more efficient. Critics say fraud is not a widespread problem in Minnesota elections and that the new requirement would be expensive and hard to administer.
The bill has a strong shot of getting through the Republican-controlled Legislature, but Gov. Mark Dayton says he believes it could create more problems than it solves. Dayton stopped short of a veto threat but says he’d prefer an independent commission study problems with election administration and suggest fixes.
As this article and others note, Governor Mark Dayton has indicated his opposition to this bill, shying away from the word “veto” but clearly expressing veto-ish concerns. Get more information about the bill here.
More as conditions develop.
Tags: mark dayton, Minnesota, suppression is un-American, voter ID
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Thomas Bates Bio: Thomas is Rock the Vote's Vice President of Civic Engagement. @BatesThomas Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com |
