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Minnesota House of Representatives

State Representative Sheldon Johnson

549 State Office BuildingState Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4201

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Posted: 2012-03-21 00:00:00
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E-Update

2012 SESSION UPDATE

Dear neighbors,

Early Wednesday morning, House Republicans approved a bill that would place on the November ballot a constitutional amendment requiring a voter ID to be able to vote.

The measure passed along party lines and would give Minnesota, long regarded as a national leader in citizenship, some of the most restrictive voting rules in the nation. Republicans rejected efforts to make it easier for college students, senior citizens, and even our veterans vote.

Make no mistake about it: Voter ID will disenfranchise voters and reduce turnout. Our state shines nationally every two years, ranking among the leaders in voter turnout. Our status as one of the states with the highest Election Day turnout is in jeopardy.

Secretary of State Mark Ritchie reports that there are currently 84,000 voters without a Minnesota driver’s license of state ID card and another 131,000 voters with an address on their ID that is different from that at which they are registered to vote. And nationally, 11 percent of Americans lack a photo ID. Breaking that number shows just who will be disenfranchised: 25 percent of African Americans, 18 percent of seniors 65 and older, 48 percent of seniors 80 and older 33 percent, 25 percent, 23 percent and 20 percent of 18, 19, 20 and 21-year olds, respectively, lack photo IDs.

Obtaining a photo ID may seem a simple requirement to ensure the right to vote, but the facts aren’t quite that clear cut. It’s true that the amendment would require the state to provide free photo IDs to eligible voters. But in order to get these “free” IDs, eligible voters will be required to show certain documents to prove their identity. These documents are not free. These documents include birth certificate copies ($45), passports ($97), naturalization papers ($200) and marriage certificate copies ($9).

Some voters do not have these documents. Older voters and a disproportionate number of African Americans often do not have birth certificates. Individuals who do not have the required documentation can request a variance ($10 fee) to obtain a state ID. Typically it takes 20 days to obtain a Minnesota ID. The expedited process costs an additional $20.

If there are serious concerns about voter fraud (A 2008 survey of Minnesota county attorneys found only 38 cases of voter fraud – of which, 100 percent were cases of felons voting. The photo ID legislation does nothing to stop felons from voting, as no form of photo identification in Minnesota lists a person’s criminal past.), the way to address them is through legislative initiatives, not an amendment to the state Constitution.

We need action on the issues facing ordinary Minnesotans. Republicans pledged to address education, property tax increases and jobs. Instead, they’ve given us divisive constitutional amendments.

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