Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/tag/voting-rights/page/11/)
Burnsville is priming the pump on the issues that it would like to see addressed during the upcoming legislative session that begins Jan. 24. Our state lawmakers are invited to attend tonight’s Burnsville City Council work session beginning at 6:30 p.m. to review the city’s positions.
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The easy way to change your country and dispel corruption and save nature.
I originally titled this “When it comes to voting, too many Americans are ignorant”. But that was too harsh. But not by much! Free Speech ZoneThe Free Speech Zone offers a space for contributions from readers, without editing by the TC Daily Planet. This is an open forum for articles that otherwise might not find a place for publication, including news articles, opinion columns, announcements and even a few press releases. The fact is, most of the socio-economic changes that we see in our country today are a result of negligence, ignorance, or indolence in the voting booth, and if you wish to be brutal about it, those on the bottom of the economic scale in our country may deserve what they get. Witness Egypt. Change can be made, but those who want it must participate and be active. Continue Reading
Well the ironies in this discussion are endless.
First, Mark Dayton as a Senator stated “Those who talk of
Election Fraud, while well meaning are seriously misguided.”
The words “veto” and “vote” may share the same letters but they’re at odds on Gov. Pawlenty’s desk the last two days. He won’t let Minnesotans get registered automatically as voters when they get licensed as drivers, and he won’t let felons get a letter about it when they get their voting rights back, either. On Wednesday, Pawlenty vetoed (pdf) a bill that would have required that the state notify felons when their civil rights restored upon completion of their sentences — including providing voter-registration applications. He wrote:
[C]itizens should bear some responsibility for being informed about their situations and rights. Last night, Pawlenty vetoed (pdf) a “motor-voter” bill that would have automatically registered eligible Minnesota residents as voters when they apply for licenses or permits to drive, or another state ID card. Continue Reading
Minnesota voters could cast their ballots as early as two weeks before Election Day under a measure approved by a House committee. Under HF1113, Minnesota would join 31 others states that allow their residents to vote early. Its sponsor, Rep. Will Morgan (DFL-Burnsville), said it would address a growing demand from members of the public whose desire to vote sometimes conflicts with their busy work schedules and personal lives. “We think it’s a matter of convenience for the voters,” Morgan said. Ryan Anderson, a board member of the Minnesota State University Student Association, said the option to vote early would be especially helpful to students, who could work around their class schedules and also make time to go vote in their home precincts. Continue Reading
Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Delano) didn’t waste time getting into the specifics of his voter ID bill for members of the House State and Local Government Operations Reform, Technology and Elections Committee on Feb. 12. Instead, he made a very simple pitch: it’s about integrity. Emmer argued that HF57, which would require all Minnesota voters to present a valid photo ID at their polling place on Election Day, would not only prevent voter fraud, but assure voters that the true outcome of any election is beyond doubt. “If we’re truly proud of our elections … it’s imperative that we do something as simple as require a voter ID,” Emmer said. Continue Reading
Yesterday at the State Capitol things turned from Minnesota nice to Minnesota not so nice as Rep. Steve Emmer and former Secretary of State Rep. Continue Reading
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie delivered a statement and took questions from the Minnesota State Senate’s State and Local Government Operations and Oversight Committee. Several Republican members of the Committee raised questions casting shadows of doubt on the recount process. Sen. Dick Day (R-Owatanna) questioned the need for a State Canvassing Board to count improperly filled out ballots, adding that he does not care “if you’re disenfranchised or not.” Secretary Ritchie emotionally fired back by recalling his elderly grandmother, “sharp as a tack until the day she died,” who could not fill in a circle due to shaking. Ritchie defended the process and expressed disappointment in elected officials who did not do more to quell “false” criticisms of both state officials and the recount process from some segments of the local and national media. Continue Reading
As of Tuesday night, Hennepin County officials had yet to recount ballots from Minneapolis’ Precinct 1, Ward 3. But when they do, there likely won’t be as many ballots to count as there were voters who tried to cast them. Residents of a student cooperative high rise called The Chateau, which towers over the Dinkytown neighborhood at the edge of the University of Minnesota campus, weren’t able to register at their polling place this year like they did in past elections. The problem: Election officials would not accept the same kind of proof of residency they had in the past — a letter from building management that explains Chateau residents pay for their heat and electricity as part of their rent and therefore don’t have individual utility bills. A revised letter prepared quickly after the Chateau’s office opened at 10 a.m. didn’t pass muster either. Continue Reading