Connecting over the proposed voter ID amendment

The League of Women Voters does not take voting lightly. In fact, the nonpartisan political organization was founded in 1920 during the convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, just six months before ratification of the 19^th amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Ratification came after 70-plus years of struggle.

Gwen Myers, a former history and government teacher who serves as a board member and volunteer lobbyist for the state organization, spoke on behalf of the League of Women Voters Minneapolis to a group gathered at Cause Spirits & Soundbar for a Get Connected! event on August 22nd.

Myers, who has been an election judge for the past ten years, warned that the voter ID amendment being put to Minnesota voters this November is “definitely a threat to people’s voting.” She said that the process of acquiring an acceptable form of photo ID with a current permanent address is a burdensome and costly process for many state residents.

Amendment would create unnecessary hurdles 

The League of Women Voters has come out strongly against photo ID requirements for voters, saying they create hurdles for otherwise eligible voters, are unnecessary for election integrity because no one in Minnesota has ever been convicted of voter impersonation, and would add significant costs to the whole election process.

Gwen Myers 

Among other consequences, Myers observed that the proposed requirements would effectively end election day registration as we know it, something that half-a-million Minnesotans typically take advantage of in presidential elections. Furthermore, those voters would be required to vote provisionally, making it uncertain whether their votes would be counted. Absentee voting as we know it would likely come to an end, too, as would the use of passports, military IDs and student IDs as proof of identity. No more vouching for relatives, friends, or neighbors either.

With no history of fraud, a voter suppression effort

For numerous reasons, the photo identification requirements would impact specific groups most harshly, including young people, students, low-income residents, the elderly, people of color, shelter residents, and others living in institutions or facilities where they have no fixed address.

According to Myers, approximately 25 percent of African Americans do not have a current, government-issued ID; nor do18 percent (which translates to 123,000) of voters over the age of 65. At the other end of the age spectrum, 18 percent of citizens ages 18 to 24 do not have a government-issued ID with their current address and name on it. Some 15 percent of voters earning less than $35,000 a year do not have a photo ID either.

Our Vote Our Future estimates that some 700,000 Minnesotans could be impacted if the amendment is approved. Minnesota would likely lose its status as the state with the highest voter turnout in the nation. If approved, the amendment will go into effect in 2015. 

Given that there have been no voter impersonation convictions in Minnesota--the one type of voting fraud a photo ID would prevent--and virtually no cases (one one-hundredth of one-percent of votes cast) of voter fraud of any kind, Myers pointed out that this is a solution in search of a problem. It’s “the big lie,” she said.

“When you sign the roster you’re swearing to a number of things,” said Myers. “You’re told that it’s a felony to lie about your identity, a felony punishable by imprisonment and steep fines” of up to $10,000 and a year in jail.

Fraud, she said, is what lawyers for former Sen. Norm Coleman and his successor, Sen. Al Franken, were looking for in the contested 2008 election. Myers noted that Fritz Knaak, Coleman’s attorney, has said that no fraud was found.

If there’s no evidence of voter fraud, then what is the amendment’s real purpose? “This is a voter suppression effort,” said Myers. “Most of the groups affected are those who would likely vote Democratic.” 

Former Gov. Arne Carlson, a Republican, and former Vice President Walter Mondale, a Democrat, have said that the proposed amendment is, "a product of an organization known as ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council), which is the creation of the Koch brothers, who amassed their fortunes in oil and who live in Florida. The goal of ALEC is to influence legislators across the nation." In its Proposing Constitutional Amendments: A Handbook for State Lawmakers, ALEC promotes the practice of amending state constitutions. It is currently pursuing voter ID amendments in numerous states as a way of giving Repubicans an electoral advantage.

Unfortunately, Myers told the crowd at Cause, amendment opponents aren’t well organized, so opposition “hasn’t been as robust as it should be.”

Organizing through social media

One way to become more organized, responded Marcos Lopez-Carlson of the Twin Cities Media Alliance, is through social media. With nearly a billion users worldwide, the equivalent of the third largest nation on earth, “Facebook is worth paying attention to for that reason alone.” Besides being a place to post cute cat pictures and videos, Lopez-Carlson said, it is one of the places where people are having important conversations, discussions and dialogue.

Marcos Lopez-Carlson

What people may not realize, he added, is that anyone can now create a Facebook group and select who they want to invite to participate and see posts. These more private spaces exist outside of the general newsfeed and their access can be controlled to invite in only those who share specific interests. Groups allow file sharing, polling, and a place where people can work on documents together. 

Interest lists are another useful new feature that Facebook users may want to take advantage of, he said. Interest lists are good ways to organize news by topic feeds. This can help people manage and limit the clutter of general newsfeeds. That way a Facebook user is more likely to see the news they want to see, for example about proposed amendments.

League program manager Sharon Emery touted the Twin Cities Daily Planet as yet one more important online resource, offering multiple opportunities for people to become involved, get their message across, and reach a large and different audience from more traditional media outlets.

Get Connected! community meetings are part of a larger project of the Twin Cities Media Alliance and Daily Planet. With support from the Bush Foundation, each Get Connected! event is planned and co-hosted with nonprofit organizations that work on one of six issue areas: education, work, health care, immigration, transportation, and the environment.  Get Connected! meetings are scheduled through October, and culminate in an annual fall media forum scheduled for Saturday, November 10, at UROC, the University of Minnesota’s Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center.

• Crock, there is no way to do anything in this country that does not require a picture id, that includes buy some cold medcines and get a social security check. - by Gus Seals on Fri, 08/31/2012 - 3:11pm
  • If all they need is a picture ID, why not accept a student ID or a Military ID? What about absentee voting? Should our military over seas not be able to vote because they can't show an ID on a mail in form? - by Betty Eyer on Sat, 09/01/2012 - 11:23am
  • The problem is this: if the issue were truly about elimination of voter fraud, the solution is fairly simple, when a voter registers, take their picture and send it with the registrars book to their polling place. We already print the pictures of missing kids on milk cartons and mail out cards, why not do the same for voters? But this won't happen because those driving this voter discouragement drive will say it 'costs too much'. The fact is, the voter ID laws are the latest proof that the white majority in this country knows that within 30 years it will no longer be the majority and its unwilling to do the things needed to bring minorities into the mainstream of America by sharing economic and political power. So is seeks to maintain its majority status by suppressing the vote. - by Charles Polk on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 8:28am
• Gus...None of those things are "Constitutional" rights. - by James Mcnair on Fri, 08/31/2012 - 5:36pm
  • The second amendment is a constitutional right. Pack a gun with no ID or try and get a permit without one. Hell they even charge you for the permit! Why don't the dems tell the truth. The people this would make voting difficult for are dems, they are also too stupid to be deciding anything about how this country runs. Anyone who disagrees is an idiot. Go ahead and admit you can't get elected without the voters who don't have a clue about any of the issues. These are the voters who are pulling the Democrat lever like its a foodstamp vending machine. - by Jeremy Langley on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 9:27pm
• Could it be that no one has ever been covicted and there are no known cases of voter fraud because there is no requirement to show I.D.? My kids can go to the DMV and get a photo ID. Owning a gun is a constitutional right to, but you still must apply and, oh, show a photo I.D.to buy one. - by Kim Huff on Sat, 09/01/2012 - 7:26am
• Oh please. How friggin hard is it to get an ID?? Give me a friggin break. Ya gotta be a legal citizen to vote, and to do nearly anything in this country, ya need to have an ID...quit makin excuses and do whatcha gotta do. Sheesh people. This is pathetic. If you can't prove you're a legal citizen, you don't get to vote. Easy. - by Trish Mauzy on Sat, 09/01/2012 - 9:09am
  • I honestly think its ridiculous that they will now require an id, it would be one thing if they did it after an election but to make it mandatory the year of the election is a joke..and they say its to prevent voter fraud haha cause that's such a huge issue they only had about 80 instances of fraud in the last election. Just so happens that the majority of people without an id or license happen to be those without money and people of color and mitt romney has 0% of the black vote.... Sounds fishy to me :) - by Josh Brown on Sat, 09/01/2012 - 3:05pm
  • Think of this as similar to our legal system. Our legal system is designed for the moral purpose of keeping the maximum amount of innocent people out of jail/conviction; it is NOT designed to maximize the number of criminals in jail. Likewise our moral voting system, in the land of the free, is intended to allow the maximum number of Americans to vote. A voter ID law, yes will do more to restrict the voting to Americans only, but it will come at the expense of denying some Americans their vote. We wouldn't change our legal system to boost our % of criminals in jail if it meant that it would increase the # of innocent people convicted, so why would we do that to our voting system? - by Jason Wheeler on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 2:14am
  • they said this group is non-partisan---PLEASE only democrats don't want voter ID. everybody knows its just common sense to show id. - by prryblu on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 8:01am
  • I agree that there are ways to do this that are fair and reasonable. In the last few months before an election, it is an obvious attempt to deny certain people their right to vote. Do it after, make the law reasonable (military id not ok? REALLY?), and then people have two years to comply. - by Betty Eyer on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 8:38am
  • So this article says that voter ID laws cut out the 18-24 demographic. But this is the age group that needed a photo ID to take the SAT! - by Beth Tripp Moss on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 8:39am
  • Trish, you obviously have lived a fairly sheltered life Imagine you are a single mother with one child working at a job that pays just over the minimum wage, lets say $8.50. You would bring home just $1380 a month. The cost of a state ID is $25. In addition you have to take time off to take the bus to go to the DVM to get it because they aren't open when you are off work. Believe me, its a burden and the lack of it denies you the one real power you have in your life, the one power not dependent on your economic condition. the one power in which you count the same as anyone with or without money, the ability to vote for those who will make decisions with huge implications for your life and the life of your child. That's why the voter ID sham is such a corrosive one for our democracy, it eats away at the fundamental shared truth of one man one vote that provides participation for all Americans in their own destiny. That's why I don't believe the Republicans really believe in democracy any longer. That's why I won't vote for republicans who claim they want to run the US like 'a business'. In most businesses, the people who are most affected by that businesses decisions have no say whatsoever in how its run. That process is solely the province of those with money who own the business not those who are most affected by the decisions it makes. That isn't a good model for a republic. - by Charles Polk on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 8:51am
  • Its strictly to keep illegals from voting. Cheers to that! - by Justin Marbury on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 11:20am
  • I would agree that springing it on everyone so late is an issue. I would also change it to where you could present your birth cert or SSC as long as you had a picture ID of some sort to match. You should have to prove your citizenship somehow to get into a room for "American citizens" to choose who runs this country. @Charles, people have to make sacrifices, DMV is open 5 days a week and most have options for the weekend at some point, she can trade a shift, pick up an extra one, or MAKE IT HAPPEN. Also, if she has a LEGAL job, she would have had to PROVE her citizenship and right to work in this country. - by Jon Mauzy on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 11:50am
  • And besides, only a select few have an actual option in this election, anyway. Those who WANT to vote for Romney or Obama can, but those of us who want to vote for someone else, well we're SOL. - by Trish Mauzy on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 12:01pm
• Voter I'D laws are an effort to prevent the illegal aliens from voting. Seems that they have alot to vote for in Obama's delayed deportation program. Why should non-citizens have the right to vote? Everytime I vote, I have to show my drivers license, why not everyone else too? - by Brian Michael Taylor on Sat, 09/01/2012 - 9:35am
  • In LA you can also bring some other proof of residence including utility bill, etc. You don't have to show a picture ID. http://www.sos.la.gov/tabid/151/default.aspx In my state in VA, they are allowed to ask for an ID or voter registration card but not to require it. The voter card does not have a picture. So if I refuse to show my ID, I have to sign a special form saying that I am who I say I am. Most people don't know that. - by Betty Eyer on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 8:41am
  • Pretty sure Minnesota doesn't have much of an illegal alien problem...just saying. - by Rhys Dyfi on Mon, 09/03/2012 - 1:34am
  • Rhys, you would be surprised lol - by Rachel Roush on Mon, 09/03/2012 - 12:11pm
• If you are an American 18 years old or older you have the right to vote. All these attempts to deny a group of Americans the right to vote because they do not drive a car denies them their constitutional rights. - by Mike Shumate on Sat, 09/01/2012 - 9:50am
  • I think the right to vote in the US is more serious than your flippant reply Steve. - by Jason Wheeler on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 2:48am
  • Boo. Boo! - by Jerry Bursby on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 3:23am
  • There is no right to vote. The blackbox has replaced the ballot. - by Skee Zix B Boon-Yak on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 7:59am
  • I don't really have a problem with a voter ID. I have a problem with deliberately making it hard for people to get, denying military ID, denying absentee voting, and doing all this at the 11th hour before a very contentious presidential race. It's obviously voter suppression, not protecting us from fraud. If you really want to address fraud, address the fact that there is no physical verification of computer collected data. - by Betty Eyer on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 8:44am
  • Here is the funny thing, the state issues these cards with information and pictures for people who don't drive.simple, get an id so we know you are not an illegal from tijuana - by Justin Marbury on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 11:23am
  • Ummm you can get a non-driver state id..... - by Thorin M. Schmidt on Tue, 09/04/2012 - 1:03pm
• Crazy talk , it's not that republicans want an advantage it's that's democrat's need to cheat . My whole life I've had to show i.d . The fact is that dem's need the whino's in the street to vote for more handouts. - by Dennis James Drollinger on Sat, 09/01/2012 - 9:53am
  • I agree. The democrats need to cheat to win. - by Jerry Bursby on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 3:26am
  • the wino on the street has a constitutional right to vote, no matter what you might think of his opinion. - by Betty Eyer on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 8:45am
  • You have to show ID to vote, it's not like you can walk in there without anything and vote. In fact, the same proof that is required to vote is required to get a state ID in the first place! I think the second sentence in your reply undermines your first sentence. Essentially, you don't want anyone to vote who may have interests different than your own so you do want an advantage by keeping them from voting. Here's an idea, come up with some ideas that actually appeal to the young, blacks and Latino's and you should be able to win with out preventing them from voting. Otherwise, you should lose because you favor the interests of a minority of citizens instead of spreading the responsibility for fixing our problems equally. Ever notice how most of the pro voter suppression posts on this comment board are white males? - by Charles Polk on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 10:49am
  • Yeah, I agree with the voter id system, but you are all being dickheads about it. - by Justin Marbury on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 11:26am
  • As a rule people with three names are usually crazy. - by David Nygaard on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 3:39pm
  • So does the "whino" not have the right to vote because you view him as inferior? And explain how an eligible person voting is illegal? Also research voter fraud state by state...its non-existent in comparison to the people who are legal and won't be allowed to vote. The info is out there to see if you'll turn of Fox News long enough to do some real research on the topic. - by Jamie Morrison on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 6:22pm
  • Sounds like a made up issue. Where are the court convictions or even inquires showing pervasive voter fraud. - by Christian Georgeou on Mon, 09/03/2012 - 2:07am
• Dear Gwen, Some things you forgot to mention and that most rational and functioning people would conclude is this. How would you ever know if voter fraud was being committed without a verafication process that deals with not only data base information but actual identity. Without a documented photo ID you have a weak link in the election process. You see the demo rats have made a profession out of voter fraud and just because Man has not been able to verify and pros acute does not mean that it has not been happening. Republicans and I are done with letting this continue to infect the election process. I wanted to go fishing the other day and went to get a fishing licence. I found out that I needed a photo ID so I needed to drive to the DMV with my birth cert and some utility bills and got my resident ID and went fishing. If someone cannot do that simple procedurt then they don't desetve to be able to vote, get it. Not everyone should be able to vote. First off is no representation without taxation. If you don't pay federal or state taxes, you donor have a right to vote and inter fear with the votes of tax paying individules, get it. That is the American way. re done with letting this continue to affect the election process and - by Richard Mcgarry on Sat, 09/01/2012 - 10:00am
  • Rational and functioning people don't refer to large blocks of people trying to voice their opinion as rats. That condescension alone shoots a major whole in your argument. So your argument is we don't know it's a problem so we need to spend millions of dollars and untold hours to enforce a law for a problem we are not sure exists to any great extent, increasing the level of government in our lives and may also cost quite a few Americans their right to vote? Are you sure you're a Republican? - by Jason Wheeler on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 2:51am
  • Wow, that was the American way, back in the 18th and 19th centuries when we only allowed white males who owned property to vote. What if I'm a US citizen, a student going to college, and working to pay my way. If I don't owe the US any taxes due to my low wages, do I get to vote? Poor veterans who fought for us but don't pay taxes due to their low income? Are they off the list of your approved voters? - by Jason Wheeler on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 2:58am
  • You would know that because the same person would show up to vote twice. DUH. There is a role of registered voters in an area and they check you off as you come in. - by Betty Eyer on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 8:45am
  • Another thing that "most rational and functioning people would conclude" is that your sub-par use of grammar is rather confusing. - by Rhys Dyfi on Mon, 09/03/2012 - 5:51pm
  • and telling of cognitive abilities...lol - by Gim Nahganub on Tue, 09/11/2012 - 9:17pm
• Texas is the worst place for first-time voters. They did not let me vote despite having 1) Voter Registration Card, 2) Driver's License, and 3) permanent address. Can't trust Texans! - by Terence Tan on Sat, 09/01/2012 - 8:59pm
  • BOO!!! - by Jerry Bursby on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 3:26am
• James, What about the right to bear arms?? There is an I'd check, background check and wait period before you can exercise those rights - by Eric White on Sat, 09/01/2012 - 9:33pm
  • Exercising your voting rights doesn't potentially kill 12 people in a theater in Colorado . - by Charles Polk on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 9:38am
  • Only to conceal carry. - by Justin Marbury on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 11:20am
  • Not in all states...Google it. - by Jamie Morrison on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 6:18pm
  • *Charles, exercising my right to bear arms doesn't potentially kill people in colorado either. People kill people.. not guns. *James, agreed. Good intentions by the government (in this case ensuring only eligible voters are able to vote) often turn into bad legislation that just doesn't work. I think my right to vote should be protected from those who are not eligible. It makes sense to ensure only Americans can vote in American elections. As for the burden, my opinion is that some level of burden is acceptable to ensure the legitimacy of elections. - by Eric White on Mon, 09/03/2012 - 12:54am