Minnesota voter ID bill under scrutiny

Network partner organizations in Ohio have been closely following a bill   that would require voters to show photo identification when they cast a   ballot. A similar initiative is being considered now in Minnesota as   well.

Network partner League of Women Voters Minnesota has been very active in voicing why a voter ID bill in Minnesota would be “unnecessary,  costly, and harmful.” The League estimates that nearly 300,000 Minnesota voting age citizens do not have photo ID. A 94-year old member of the League testified against the bill during a session stating that “There is no question that these bills will disenfranchise thousands of elderly citizens, citizens who have been proudly casting their ballots for 50 or 60 or 70 years.”

Minnesota Public Radio: Bill would require state license agents to issues IDs for voting
Star Tribune: Voter ID bill on the move
League of Women Voters Minnesota: Mary Lou Hill testimony

Another Network Partner, Common Cause Minnesota, has been speaking out against the bill as well. The Minnesota legislature released a revised fiscal note after the bill was drafted, lowering costs significantly. However,  Common Cause Minnesota estimates that the state will have to pay over $3.9 million for free ID cards, significantly more than the bill’s estimates.

Common Cause: Constitutional problems for voter ID
Star Tribune: Voter ID bill gets a makeover

The Brennan Center for Justice, also a Network partner, released a report earlier this year on voter ID, examining the high costs to states in order to overcome the burden placed on voters.

Brennan Center for Justice: The Cost of Voter ID Laws: What the Courts Say