Thursday, April 12, 2012
Hennepin County estimates the measure would have cost an extra $550,000 countywide during the 2008 election.
Voter ID would require more election judges, additional training and new equipment that would result in hundreds of thousands in new election costs for Hennepin County and cities within its boundaries, according to county estimates. The costliest piece for the county would be provisional ballots for those who do not have photo identification on election day. Costs would include special equipment, additional staff time to process the votes and reminder notices for those who used provisional ballots, which would be counted only if the voter later supplied proof of identity. “This means that after a very long election cycle we’re going to be remaining in this intense world for a little bit longer,” said Rachel Smith, the county’s election …
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Senate approval puts the issue on the November ballot.
Updated 9:30am 4/5/12: The voter ID question is now in the hands of the electorate. by a 35-29 vote, the state Senate approved sending a proposed constitutional amendment to voters this November. If Minnesotans approve it, voters in future elections will have to show a state-issued photo identification to vote. The measure would also set up a complex system of "provisional ballots" to handle voters who register on election day or who vote absentee. Opponents say many of these voters would not follow through with the required steps to make their votes count. Original Story: The Minnesota Senate takes up the controversial "Voter ID" bill today for what could be the last time. The bill, if approved today, would place a constitutional …
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Minnesota's Fifth District Representative opined on Voter ID in Star Tribune.
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Wednesday, March 14, 2012
U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) wrote an opinion piece in the Star Tribune Wednesday about the effort to require voters to show photo ID at the polling place: "I went to war for this country, but now I can't vote in this country," said 86-year-old World War II veteran Paul Carroll. Last week, Mr. Carroll was turned away from his polling place in Ohio because his driver's license had expired in January and his new government-issued Veterans Affairs ID did not include his home address. Mr. Carroll risked his life to protect our freedoms from the worst evils our world has ever known, but because of a restrictive photo ID law, he could not exercise the very freedoms he fought to protect. That's just plain wrong. On March 4, thousands spoke out …
Thursday, March 8, 2012
The Government Operations and Elections Committee will be debating the issue.
The much talked about voter photo ID bill will be in front of the House Government Operations and Elections Committee today—a committee which includes Southwest Minneapolis' Frank Hornstein (DFL-60B). The GOP proposal would require voters to present photo IDs at the polls. Supporters say this would cut down on voting fraud, while opponents say it is an unnecessary measure that could disenfranchise some voters. You can watch the hearing live here beginning at 10:15 a.m., courtesy of The UpTake.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Congressman introduced a resolution on the night of Minnesota's caucuses.
Over the last week, Rep. Keith Ellison has spoken out against the Minnesota Voter ID constitutional amendment. According to the Star Tribune, Ellison introduced a resolution against the amendment Tuesday, the night of the Minnesota caucuses. "Everybody does not have an ID. But people who don't have them are as fully American as anyone," he said. Ellison went on to say that the amendment won't really solve anything, according to an article in MinnPost. “At the end of the day, dishonest people who are intent on being dishonest are going to be dishonest." On Friday, Ellison opponent Lynne Torgerson (R) stated on Facebook her objection to the Obama Administration's requirement that religious hospitals and schools offer full contraception …
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Southwest's legislators have repeatedly condemned the proposed constitutional amendment
Courtesy of he Uptake, Patch brings you live testimony from the state Senate committee hearing the so-called "Voter ID" constitutional amendment, whch would force all voters to present current, government-issued photo identification documents in order to vote. Propoents say it's necessary to combat election fraud. Opponents, including Southwest Minneapolis' representatives, call it a "solution in search of a problem," noting that it would not stop convicted criminals from voting and alleging it would disenfranchise poor and elderly voters
Monday, November 7, 2011
The 5th District representative will host a panel Wednesday in Hopkins about LGBT issues.
Last week saw Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) introduce two bills intended to make access to voting easier. One bill allows people to register and vote on the same day in federal elections. The other bill bans states from requiring voters to show voter idea. Ellison says the bills would prevent millions from being disenfranchised and argues that Republicans are trying to suppress historically Democrat blocs, such as youth and minority voters. “Eligible voters deserve access to the polls. By passing these bills, we can ensure our nation lives up to its ideals and protect the most fundamental right in our democracy,” he wrote in an op-ed for the Daily Kos. The proposals won praise from liberal MSNBC host Rachel Maddow. “We are seeing some signs of…
Orono
9:41 pm on Thursday, April 26, 2012
Hey Rob, you are projecting your own ugly feelings on everyone here. Obviously, you are a huge racist. You are the only person to post a comment and mention race. When everyone else on here was stating facts and opinions, you screamed racism. Why? Obviously you are racist. And as a liberal screaming racism, you are also obviously white. more ›