After Governor Mark Dayton vetoed a bill to require photo identification to vote, Republican lawmakers plan to put the issue on the ballot. Constitutional amendments don’t need the governor’s signature to go directly to Minnesota voters. Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer (R-Big Lake) said “The legislation has overwhelming public support especially among our younger voters and women. Clearly this is what Minnesota wants.” State Senator Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson) is the co-author of the bill that would put a voter ID question on the 2012 ballot.
Meanwhile DFL lawmakers responded that the GOP continues to fixate on divisive constitutional amendments without a budget deal. Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) added “And just like the anti-marriage amendment, they want to change our state’s constitution just to restrict basic rights of Minnesotans. This helps not one Minnesota family. Worse, it is a counterproductive distraction to resolving our budget deficit when time is of the essence.”
But of course, the GOP wants to eliminate the government and run the country by direct referendum, which favors those with the biggest advertising bucks.
I sure do admire the GOP for the way they’ve kept their election promise to “focus like a laser on ‘jobs, jobs, jobs.’ ”
Yup. Sure do.
still a solution in search of a problem.hey was not it Kiffmeyer that said that tribal id’s weren’t good enough when she was sec of state.kinda gets you thinking
Voter supression is what these bills are. I saw a billboard on 94 near monicello that said “Voter Fraud is a fact” the problem is it isn’t a fact. there have only been a handfull of cases and most of those were felons trying to vote. The proposed laws don’t do anything about that.
My difficulty within this topic concerns itself most often with WHY left-wing groups are playing dumb, deaf and blind on this “election fraud” issue. There are all manner of multiple reports of early voting irregularities and election shenanigans across the country every single election cycle in this country. Ad nauseum. Why then the spectacular failure to recognize this and then set out to reframe this issue for what it truly is; and not what you “think” couldn’t possibly be?
Voter fraud and its companion elements have been in place within our electoral system for the better part of 200 years now. Cities like Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, NYC, New Orleans, etc., all have an extremely checquered past when it comes to “fair and cleanly run” elections. States like Illinois, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey and a host of others, have all had clearly posted and delineated elections which were anything but “above board” and have been called on it numerous times by numerous forces on both the Left and the Right. Yet, somehow, in the midst of over-whelming evidence to the contrary; Dems and liberals continue to maintain that no such corruption exists within the modern day electoral structure.
The arguments on your side all seem to cast doubt on there ever having been a problem of voter fraud from any element within the party dynamic. Or at least, if there was, it wasn’t meaningful enough to have caused any significant damage. Your side continues to frame this argument as being one made on behalf of Republicans who seek to suppress the votes of minorities and the poor – or worse still – one that, by virtue of having to provide a suitable ID – provides a new avenue of intimidation or suppression of voted from the “disenfranchised” (an overworked term if there ever was one) from within the ranks of the elderly or young, and without an “adequate basis.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. But far be it from your side of the fence to ever argue something in a rational manner. One based on irrefutable facts and not the emotional whims of people who see “little green goblins” behind a proposal that hasn’t even been ratified yet, and for which there is no incontrovertible evidence to support the claims you make. Then again, it’s never stopped you before…
Dave’s Irrational commentary…
@Dave-8:21pm: Perhaps the Republicans found that there were some other things happening in the State of Minnesota as well as the lack of jobs, and that those issues too should be given a second look.
What you look at as a “having taken their eyes off the ball” moment – I prefer to look at through the lens of “multi-tasking.” Something, no doubt, even you and your kids probably do from time to time. When it does occur in your daily life, are you as cavalier and disdainful about your own “loss” of “laser focus-ability?” Yeah; I didn’t think so…