Voter ID bill passes Minnesota Senate

The Minnesota Senate approved a bill on Thursday that would require voters to show photo identification at the polls when they cast a ballot. The House will now act on the bill where it is expected to pass and then head to the desk of Governor Mark Dayton. To get around a potential veto, House Republicans are already introducing a ballot measure that would put voter ID in the Minnesota state constitution, if approved by voters in 2012.

[Midwest Democracy Network previously posted on the Minnesota voter ID proposals here]

League of Women Voters Minnesota, a Network partner, released a statement today saying the state Senate “ignored the evidence that had been presented in numerous committee hearings that proved this bill is unnecessary, harmful, and costly to Minnesota taxpayers,” and that “every allegation of rampant voter fraud in our elections has been disproven. These claims only serve as a distraction from real issues that face our country and our state, and unnecessarily divide us as a society.”

Network partner Common Cause Minnesota also chimed in stating: “This legislation will create barriers to voting for large segments of these populations that don’t have a driver’s license. Studies show that approximately 11 percent of Americans lack a current government issued photo ID, disproportionately impacting racial minorities, senior citizens, young voters, the working poor, and people with disabilities.”

Common Cause Minnesota executive director Mike Dean said that ultimately “This legislation will be held unconstitutional because it fails to pay for an effective public education campaign.”

Read more:
Common Cause: Senate votes to disenfranchise thousands of Minnesotans
League of Women Voters Minnesota: Voter ID: “Show me your papers” comes to Minnesota’s voting booths