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State Representative Ryan Winkler
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-7026
For more information contact: Matt Swenson 651-297-8406
Press/News Releases
PHOTO ID BILL PUTS UP A ROADBLOCK FOR MINNESOTA VOTERS
ST. PAUL, MN – Today lawmakers heard alarming testimony in the State Government Operations Committee regarding pending elections legislation (HF302) that would require all Minnesotans to show a photo ID before voting. State Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL – Golden Valley) had this to say about today’s committee hearing.
Today House Republicans continued their push for a $40 million effort to prevent legal voters from participating in Minnesota elections. As Tea Party politicians were sounding the false alarm of rampant voter fraud, the truth about photo ID came out today in the testimony of Minnesota voters.
This bill would create major barriers to voting – adding extra costs and hassle for vulnerable Minnesota voters, equivalent to reinstating the poll tax.
For instance, disabled Minnesotans would have to go through the extra costs and effort to obtain a photo ID – paying for assistance with transportation, filing and obtaining necessary documents. And by the time they get to the polls, they could be turned away if a member of their immediate family isn’t present.
If you are a 70 year-old woman without a driver’s license, in order to vote you would have to find your birth certificate and locate your marriage license before you could obtain a photo ID. Why would a woman who has been voting for 50 years now have to pay to get a copy of a birth certificate and marriage license to continue exercising her right to vote?
This bill is an expensive solution in search of a mythical problem. The funny thing is all it does is create more problems for Minnesota voters. It’s time to stop wasting time on these expensive distractions, and focus instead on the economic and fiscal crises facing our state.
Ryan Winkler
State Representative
District 44B
News Items
- House passes minimum wage increase to raise wages of over 350,000 Minnesotans - (Posted: May 3 2013 4:30PM)
- Select Committee on Living Wage Jobs reviews 30 years of Pay Equity Act and current gender, income and work issues in Minnesota - (Posted: Apr 16 2013 1:56PM)
- Select Committee on Living Wage Jobs to review 30 years of Pay Equity Act and address current gender, income and work issues - (Posted: Apr 15 2013 11:40AM)
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