CCMN gives testimony to House panel on voter ID
The Government Operations and Elections Committee heard testimony on two bills requiring Minnesota residents to provide a photo ID before they vote.
Mike Dean of Common Cause Minnesota argued a process involving photo IDs will only make it harder for citizens to legally vote by creating bureaucratic red tape for the young and elderly.
“At a time when Minnesotans can’t find jobs, and our budget is in shambles, we need our elected leaders to fix those problems, not try to impose MORE rules and regulations on a system that isn’t broken,” said Dean.
State Rep. Mike Benson, R-Rochester, said the process of deciding who runs government should be held to the same standard as when someone purchases alcohol or buys a box of cold medicine, according to the Minnesota Public Radio.
“We need our elections to be seen as free and fair. And in order to do that, we need to have the processes in place to assure that each vote is tied to an actual individual who lives in a particular place. And this can all be verified by a secure form of photo ID,” said Benson.
Free government IDs for citizens without driver’s licenses or other forms of identification are included as provisions in both bills.
As states continue to look for ways to cut budgets, Dean said the mandates in the legislation could cost over $40 million from creating and distributing the bills, imposing a provisional balloting system and purchasing new equipment.
“This does not make sense when we could have improved the integrity of our election system and save taxpayer money by implementing the registration modernization bill that was vetoed by former Governor Pawlenty last year,” said Dean. “Registration modernization is recognized by election officials as a cost effective way to improve the integrity our election system. Moreover this idea has bipartisan support.”
The Pew Center for the States recently worked with Utah’s governor to modernize its voter registration process. Dean urged legislators to follow Utah’s lead by finding bipartisan ways to improve the system.
