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State Representative Duane Quam
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-9236
For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317
NEWS COLUMN
VOTER ID AMENDMENT WILL SOON REACH HOUSE FLOOR
This November, I am confident you will have the opportunity to decide whether or not Minnesotans should provide photo identification prior to casting a ballot on Election Day.
This week, the House Ways and Means Committee approved legislation that would ask voters if they wanted to amend our Constitution in order to require voter identification. From there, it will head to the House Rules Committee, then on to the House floor.
Is Voter ID necessary? U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stevens, in the majority opinion on the Indiana photo ID case, stated that, "flagrant examples of such fraud in other parts of the country have been documented throughout this Nation’s history by respected historians and journalists … examples have surfaced in recent years."
I’m sure many of you have also watched the Youtube video where some guy recently walked into a local Minnesota county government center and was able to register to vote as football player Tim Tebow.
Most of us also remember the 2008 Al Franken/Norm Coleman U.S. Senate election, when a judicial panel decided Franken won the election by 225 votes. Though it would be impossible to determine, many have wondered if the ACORN scandal impacted this race. ACORN was a liberal organization that went to great lengths to register first time voters across this state and our nation. An investigation later discovered that some of its registrations were obtained illegally and several ACORN leaders were convicted of election fraud.
Photo identification could solve future potential voting problems, and return confidence in the integrity of our electoral system.
According to the bill, an election judge would confirm a voter’s name, address, and date of birth and ask the voter to provide picture identification. For those who did not have proper identification – such as a driver’s license, ID card, or military ID, it would require the county auditor to issue a photo ID at no cost to the Minnesotan.
We passed a similar Voter ID bill last session, but Governor Dayton chose to veto the legislation. This means that in order to bypass the Governor, the legislation must be put on the ballot in the form of a Constitutional Amendment question. With some polls showing 80 percent of Minnesotans strongly favoring voter identification, I’m confident we are doing the right thing by advancing this bill through both the House and Senate.
With more than twenty states having voter identification laws in place, and with the U.S. Supreme Court having upheld Indiana’s version, the argument stating that some voters will be disenfranchised does not hold water. Again, most people already have identification, and they are so used to showing it in businesses that showing it to an election judge will be just a normal routine.
Remember, voter fraud is only discovered after the votes are cast. Why not make the necessary adjustments prior to ballots being cast to ensure that every Minnesota vote is legal? Voter identification would make this happen, and I’m pleased it will soon be headed to the House floor for a vote.
News Items
- Legislative Update from Rep. Duane Quam - (Posted: Jan 11 2013 3:55PM)
- CLARIFYING MISCONCEPTIONS ON SEVERAL BILLS - (Posted: 2012-04-05 00:00:00)
- SIGNIFICANT BILLS BEING PASSED OFF HOUSE FLOOR - (Posted: 2012-03-30 00:00:00)
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