Republicans to target Minnesota’s easy-to-vote laws

Minnesota Republican leaders hope to repeal several easy-to-vote laws, including same-day registration and allowing someone with no voter registration and no identification to vote – known as “vouching”.

Most commonly used by Democrats on college campuses, vouching is being questioned by Republicans during the recount between Democrat Mark Dayton and Republican Tom Emmer to determine Ohio’s next governor.

According to The Pioneer Press, supporters of vouching offer a scenario for why the process works: A husband and wife have recently moved into the state and the utility bills are only in the wife’s name. The wife can register same-day and then vouch for her husband, who otherwise has no proof he lives there.

“For 40 years, Minnesota has led the country in voter participation, and the main reasons are strong election laws,” said Mike Dean, executive director of Common Cause Minnesota, a voting-rights advocacy group. “Vouching is an important tool that allows students and people who live in large apartment complexes to vote, as well as other people who have just moved into a precinct.”

Tony Sutton, chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota, claims the process is the biggest window in voting laws that allows individuals who cannot legally vote to do so; and should be replaced instead with requiring voters to provide a photo ID.

“It’s so 19th century,” Sutton said. “I couldn’t vouch for you to be buying a bottle of booze or a pack of cigarettes, but I can vouch for you to vote? I think voting is more important. Vouching is probably one of the biggest windows to allowing people to vote who shouldn’t vote.

But possible voter fraud is a non-issue, Dean said.

“Voter fraud is not really the problem in Minnesota,” Dean said. “These issues are distractions. We should not be creating barriers that could potentially disenfranchise people.”