215,000 Could Lose Vote Under Photo ID

According to a report in the Star-Tribune, over 215,000 Minnesotans, or nearly percent of the state's voters, could lose the right to vote if a proposed constitutional amendment known as Voter ID passes in November.

The measure would force any registered voter to show a government-issued photo ID at their polling station every time they wanted to vote. On its face, it seems like a non-issue. However, many Minnesotans, the paper writes, live "off the ID grid," born in rural areas in the days when it was hard to get a birth certificate. 

Citing figures from the Minnesota Secretary of State's office, the paper estimates that as many as 84,000 voters fall into this predicament, and many are elderly. Their age, infirmities, and limited incomes, the paper says, make it very difficult to gather all the required legal documents to get a photo ID.

Southwest Minneapolis has several large nursing homes and assisted living complexes, including Walker Methodist, , , and . Many of those residents could be impacted by the proposed constitutional amendment

Another 131,000 voters hold IDs that don't show their current address, according to the story. Many of those voters are students or young voters who move frequently.