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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
NEWS COLUMN
Notes from the Capitol
By State Rep. Paul Anderson
The Government Operations Committee held a hearing before a packed crowd Feb. 12 to hear a bill commonly referred to as the “Photo ID Bill.”
What seemed to me a relatively easy way to add more credibility to our election process, turned out to be anything but. The bill was voted down pretty much along party lines, with Republicans all voting for the measure while the DFL opposed it.
The League of Women Voters also opposed the bill, citing the expense of providing cards to those who would need them. The possibility of disenfranchising older voters who may not still have drivers’ licenses was also discussed.
The way the system works now, one needs to show a current utility bill as proof of residence. One metro area resident testified that he would much rather use an ID card to prove his residency than a bill from the gas or telephone company. It’s easier to carry and does away with the possibility of losing or throwing the bill away by mistake.
A law professor testified against the bill, saying that the incidence of verified voter fraud in Minnesota is very small, a figure he called as “statistically irrelevant.”
Filing out of the committee room after the hearing, I heard several frustrated onlookers pose the question to anyone who would listen, “What are you afraid of?”
At this point, the bill’s fate is unknown.
On the same topic of voting and elections, a spokesman for the Secretary of State’s office addressed the Minnesota Association of Townships breakfast meeting Feb. 12. He discussed several interesting topics relating to early voting and absentee voting. One item being talked about is allowing early voting, that is, to allow people to vote between 15 and 30 days before the regularly scheduled election. Under this proposal, residents may come in to their county auditor’s office to vote. Townships and other small precincts would not need to be “on call” for that entire period.
Another topic discussed was streamlining the process of absentee voting, which has been in the news of late, especially in regards to the Coleman-Franken election. Currently, voters must state the reason for voting absentee, which may or may not be important. Under the proposal being considered, a reason need not be given for voting absentee.
The U.S. Senate recount was also discussed. It was related that approximately 6,500 ballots were not counted because they had “identifying” marks on them. An example was given where a ballot with the message “Thanks For Counting My Ballot” written across the bottom was thrown out because of that identifying mark.
In action on the House floor Feb. 16, a bill was passed that re-instated Maintenance of Effort for local units of government. The MOE’s were suspended late last session as part of the large, omnibus tax bill, and a concern arose after-the-fact that state or federal money could be lost if some of the MOE’s were not put back in place.
After considerable debate, the bill containing the MOE re-instatement was passed, once again along party lines. To me, it was a step backward in the Legislature’s attempt to streamline government and make it more efficient. House leadership did assure the members that the subject would be re-addressed later in the session, and changes would probably be made.
(MOE’s are a mandate that local units of government spend certain, pre-determined amounts of money on specific programs. Often times, these spending decisions are based on conditions that existed 20 or 30 years ago and no longer make sense. It is what some describe as “government on auto-pilot.”)
I will hold a series of town hall listening sessions next month, right after the latest budget forecast is issued. Meetings are scheduled for Starbuck, Glenwood, and Brooten on Saturday, March 7. Additional meetings are slated for Sauk Centre and Albany the following Saturday, March 14.
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