The Fifth District Report

Ellison Praises Obama’s ‘Progressive’ Inaugural Address

The 5th District representative liked the speech’s comments on income equality, gay rights and other issues.

Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison is praising the progressive values he heard in President Barack Obama’s second inaugural address.  “As the co-chair of the Progressive Caucus, it is my considered opinion that this was a progressive speech,” Ellison said Monday on The Ed Show. “It was a speech that any progressive could say, ‘That’s what I’m talking about.’ I found myself spontaneously cheering in the middle of the speech. It was the kind of speech that just made me feel really good because it combined our common humanity, combined our need for economic fairness, combined the idea that better days our coming if we will step up to meet them.” Ellison particularly noted the president’s focus on income inequality, programs like Social …

• Videos (1)

MN Voter ID Amendment Fails: 'Vote No' Wins

With most ballots in, Yes votes were mired well below the 50 percent needed to change the Minnesota Constitution.

Minnesota voters rejected a constitutional amendment Tuesday that would have required them to show photo ID before they cast their ballots. It was past 1:30 a.m. Wednesday when the Associated Press called the ballot question for the Vote No forces. At 1:45 a.m., with 87.47 percent of precincts reporting, the Minnesota Secretary of State estimated that yes votes were 45.74 percent of all ballots cast. Update (Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.). Unofficial results now show these results: The ballot measure needed more than 50 percent to pass. Growing Optimism Earlier in the long evening, with about 675,000 ballots counted, Our Vote Our Future spokesman Eric Fought said, "We're optimistic" about the Vote No chances. He added, "It could tighten up a little…

•  41 Comments
• Photos (2)

Kingfield Shop Becomes Hub For Defeating Amendments

A salon chair becomes an unexpected place for important conversations.

One Kingfield business taking a stand against two state constitutional amendments that its owner sees as bad moves for Minnesota. Nestled in among the shops and restaurants at the corner of West 46th Street and Grand Avenue, the Colorwheel Gallery and Salon and its owner Tammy Ortegon have become hubs in a local effort to stop a proposed state constitutional amendment that would require voters  to present a photo ID in order to cast their ballots.  "When you get your hair done, it's a moment when you can ask questions and talk about really personal stuff," Ortegon explained. Just having literature arguing against the Voter ID amendment in view of customers sitting in her salon chair has spurred many conversations about the amendment that …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Will Bildsten

8:10 pm on Monday, November 5, 2012

In this case, as in the case of many progressive areas of the state, it definitely seems like Mrs. Ortegon's standing up against Voter ID would, in fact, help her business. She can both do what she believes and cares and receive new customers who have similar views with her. I wouldn't be surprised to see businesses in wealthy suburban areas be openly supportive of the Voter ID amendment.   more ›

County Commissioners Split on Opposing Voter ID

Vote comes Tuesday.

Election 2012

Church Council Urging Vote Against Voter ID

Minnesota Council of Churches represents the leaders of many Protestant denominations.

Seeking to bring attention to what it calls the "voter restriction amendment," the Minnesota Council of Churches announced its opposition to a state constitutional amendment that would require voters show photo identification at the polls.  The amendment, said Rev. Peg Chemberlin, the Council's Executive Director, has fallen too far out of the public eye. "We encourage and want a vigorous debate and conversation in the next few weeks on this amendment," Chemberlin said. "In fact, I hope there's some pushback. I hope people ask 'What's going on? Why have you taken this position?'" In a written statement, the Council's President, St. Paul Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Bishop Peter Rogness said “the fundamental issue …

•  157 Comments
• Photos (1)

(WATCH) On-Demand Video of MN Voter ID Debate

See a supporter and opponent go head to head on whether the Minnesota Constitution should require voters to show photo identification at the polling place.

Watch archived video of the two sides of the Minnesota voter ID ballot question clash for 90 minutes in an Oct. 4, 2012 debate sponsored by Debate Minnesota, brought to you by The UpTake. Debating for proponents of the proposed amendment: Dan McGrath, executive director at Minnesota Majority. Representing opponents: Doran Schrantz, executive director of ISAIAH, on behalf of Our Vote Our Future. The moderater was St. Paul Pioneer Press reporter Bill Salisbury. The debate was held at Founders Hall, Metropolitan State University, 700 E. Seventh St., St. Paul.  The ballot question is: "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to require all voters to present valid photo identification to vote and to require the state to provide free …

•  24 Comments
• Photos (1)
• Documents (1)

215,000 Could Lose Vote Under Photo ID

SW Minneapolis' elderly at risk.

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…

•  4 Comments
• Photos (1)

PHOTOS: Kingfield Marches Against Voter ID

Controversial proposed constitutional amendment goes on the ballot in November.

POLL: Do You Agree With the Supreme Court's Amendment Decisions?

On Monday, the justices voted 4-2 in favor of the Republican-controlled Legislature on the wording of the voter ID and same-sex marriage amendments.

On Nov. 6, the ballot titles and questions for the voter ID and same-sex marriage amendments will appear as the Republican-controlled Legislature wrote them, according to the Star Tribune. The Minnesota Supreme Court on Monday affirmed the wording legislators chose, instead of those submitted by Secretary of State Mark Ritchie. On the ballot, the title above the voter ID amendment will be, "Photo Identification Required for Voting." Ritchie changed it to "Changes to In-Person & Absentee Voting & Voter Registration; Provisional Ballots," but Chief Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea and justices G. Barry Anderson, Christopher Dietzen and David Stras rejected his change. The title above the same-sex marriage amendment will say, "Recognition of …

•  195 Comments
• Photos (2)
• Documents (1)

Doomsayer2012

7:37 pm on Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Try buying a pack of smokes a stiff drink chasing a check driving a car even unless you are a illegal. Don't get your undies to tight because there is only 73 days left till DOOMSDAY   more ›

Whose Title for Ballot Amendment on Voting Changes?

Petitioners ask Minnesota Supreme Court to favor Legislature's original title over secretary of state's revision.

Supporters of a photo ID requirement for Minnesota voters asked the state Supreme Court Thursday to put the Legislature's original choice of words on the ballot as the title of the amendment. Many of Southwest Minneapolis' elected officials are opposed to the amendment. Minnesota Majority, ProtectMyVote.com and a group of legislators filed a petition and brief with the Supreme Court Thursday afternoon, requesting that the justices throw out Secretary of State Mark Ritchie's rewrite of the amendment title as it will appear on ballots this fall. The two versions of the amendment title have only one word in common ("Voting"): The move comes two days after the high court held a hearing on opponents' request that they take the proposed …

• Photos (1)
• Documents (2)