League of Women Voters of Northfield

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Proof of Citizenship to Register; Photo ID to Vote

Amendments being offered on the Floor

LWVUS Position: LWVUS believes that voting is a fundamental citizen right that must be guaranteed.

Action -

· Please call or email your state representative and state senator and urge opposition to all efforts to add proof of citizenship and/or photo ID to our election procedures. Tell them there is no evidence of voter fraud at the polls in Minnesota.

· Please forward this message to friends who share your concern about protecting everyone’s right to vote.

Background

Sen. Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove) offered an amendment to the Omnibus State Gov’t Policy Bill on Thursday, 5/1, which would (1) require proof of citizenship to accompany all voter registration applications or to be presented at the polls for same-day registration (passport, birth certificate or naturalization document), and (2) require everyone to show a picture ID before signing the voter roster on Election Day. The amendment failed.

This may not have been the first effort to limit access to the polls since the unfortunate Supreme Court ruling upholding the Indiana law requiring a photo ID in order to vote; it will certainly not be the last.

LWVMN opposes blocking the route to the voting booth. The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy. The history of voting rights in this country is one of increasing inclusion and increasing ease of access to the ballot box. In Minnesota we have an especially proud tradition of fair, open and clean elections. We have made it easy to pre-register, easy to register on Election Day, and easy to vote. And there is no evidence of fraud in our elections.

The proposed additional requirements to register and to vote will have an impact, if passed.

a.. Voter registration drives as we have known them will be a thing of the past. Few people carry proof of citizenship with them when they visit the State Fair or other casual sites where parties and non-profits sponsor registration drives.
b.. The absence of voter-registration drives plus the proof of citizenship requirement will add to the length of lines at registration tables in polling places on Election Day - and many will be turned away.
c.. Those who do not drive often do not have the required photo ID. This includes some of the very elderly, the disabled, and the poor.

Here are two things to consider when reviewing any proposed change in election law:

a.. Does this change make the election process more accessible and less intimidating for first-time voters?
b.. Will this change exclude any group of citizens from the election process?
When these questions are posed about Sen. Limmer’s amendment, LWVMN gets the “wrong” answers.

Please contact your state representative and state senator and urge opposition to any effort to add requirements to our voting procedures.

Contact information:

(If you are not sure who represents you in the Minnesota Legislature, find out at http://geo.commissions.leg.state.mn.us/districts/start.html)

House member information is at http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/hmem.asp
Most House emails follow this pattern: rep.margaret.kelliher@house.mn

Senate member information is at http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/index.php?ls=85#header
Most Senate emails follow this pattern: sen.larry.pogemiller@senate.mn

This message was sent to the lwvmn-share email list. To subscribe to or unsubscribe from any LWVMN email list see http://www.lwvmn.org/members/emaillists.asp