VOICES | A Somali Perspective: Brian Coyle Center Controversy

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As America celebrates President-Elect Barack Obama’s historic win, the Somali community in Minnesota is forced to deal with negative press brought about by one of their own. On Election Day, November 4th, stories about Somali volunteers allegedly influencing voters at the polling stations began to appear in the press. Shortly after polls opened at Brian Coyle Center, a precinct inhabited mostly by Somalis, GOP challengers alleged that some voters were instructed to vote for Al Franken by translators. However, two news stories, one by Mshale, and another by the Minnesota Independent reported that witnesses claimed that a translator at the center was instructing people to vote for Coleman. Following these reports, Omar Jamal, a self-described community leader, accused the Somali Action Alliance, a non-partisan grassroots organization, and its volunteers, for pointing voters towards Al Franken. Continue Reading

What happens when your vote is challenged in Minnesota?

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Following news about mass voter challenge schemes in other states, such as Michigan, you may be wondering how voter challenges work and who is at risk of being challenged. Minnesota has strict laws about voter challenges, which are described below. If you are worried about being challenged, you can bring a photo ID card showing your address, or any of the other information that is needed for same-day voter registration.Registering on Election DayInformation from Minnesota Secretary of StateIf you are not registered to vote or need to update your registration information, you may do so at your local polling location on Election Day. However, you are required to provide proof of residence when registering on Election Day. To register at your polling place on Election Day, you must have one of the following with your current name and address in the precinct to verify your residence:
* A valid Minnesota driver’s license, learner’s permit, Minnesota ID card, or receipt for any of these * A valid student ID card including your photo, if your college has provided a student housing list to election officials * A Tribal ID card that contains your picture and signature * A valid registration in the same precinct under a different name or address * A notice of late registration sent to you by your county auditor or city clerk * A voter registered in the same precinct as you who can confirm your address with a signed oath * An employee of the residential facility where you live who can confirm your address with a signed oath
Alternatively, you may provide both 1) a photo ID from the list below, and 2) a current bill with your current name and address in the precinct. Continue Reading

Voter intimidation in Minnesota

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Secretary of State Mark Ritchie announced October 29 that a St. Paul resident stated that he received a telephone call last night from an individual claiming to be calling on behalf of the Office of the Secretary of State and challenging his voter record. “We want to let all Minnesotans know that if you or anyone in your family receives a phone call from any individual claiming to be working with or associated with the Office of the Secretary of State, politely get their name and phone number and then hang up and immediately contact our office at 1-877-600-8683,” Ritchie said in a press release. Allegations of voter intimidation and deceptive practices are investigated and prosecuted by county attorneys. To report voter intimidation, citizens may contact their county attorney directly or the Office of the Secretary of State at 1-877-600-8683. Continue Reading

Election official: Minnesota Majority group aims to ‘keep people from voting’

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Former Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer may not be in the business of supervising elections anymore, but it doesn’t mean she and her friends have abandoned their old habits. The “traditional values” organization of which Kiffmeyer is the executive director, Minnesota Majority, has been poking around Minnesota’s voter-registration file, and in a pair of letters to Secretary of State Mark Ritchie’s office over the past week, MN Majority president Jeff Davis claims to have unearthed thousands of suspicious registrations in the state’s voter records. TCDP EDITOR’S CORRECTION: Mary Kiffmeyer is no longer the director of Minnesota Majority, according to comments posted by various people to the Minnesota Independent article. TCDP called the office of the Minnesota Majority, and Dan McGrath said that the current president of Minnesota Majority is Jeff Davis, who founded the organization. McGrath said that Kiffmeyer worked as a consultant to Minnesota Majority in the past. Continue Reading

Voter registration, GOP style in Minnesota

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Minnesota Public Radio’s Tim Nelson recently wrote that “more than 100,000 Minnesotans have signed up to vote in this year’s elections, half of them with the help of ACORN [Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now].” Recent controversies over ACORN voter registration efforts highlight differences in approach between Republicans and Democrats on voter registration and Get Out The Vote (GOTV) work. Registering and voting in MinnesotaPre-election voter registration ended October 14. If you are not yet registered, you can register ON ELECTION DAY at your polling place.The Secretary of State’s web site provides the following same-day registration instructions, as well as much more information:If you are not registered to vote or need to update your registration information, you may do so at your local polling location on Election Day. However, you are required to provide proof of residence when registering on Election Day. To register at your polling place on Election Day, you must have one of the following with your current name and address in the precinct to verify your residence:
* A valid Minnesota driver’s license, learner’s permit, Minnesota ID card, or receipt for any of these * A valid student ID card including your photo, if your college has provided a student housing list to election officials * A Tribal ID card that contains your picture and signature * A valid registration in the same precinct under a different name or address * A notice of late registration sent to you by your county auditor or city clerk * A voter registered in the same precinct as you who can confirm your address with a signed oath * An employee of the residential facility where you live who can confirm your address with a signed oath
Alternatively, you may provide both 1) a photo ID from the list below, and 2) a current bill with your current name and address in the precinct. Continue Reading

Behind McCain’s ACORN gambit: The fraud of voter “fraud”

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John McCain’s attempt to magnify allegations of voter registration fraud could mitigate the impact of a Barack Obama victory and deter black Democrats from turning out to vote in future elections. var mnindyHeadline = “MORE FROM”; var mnindyHeadline2 = “Michigan Messenger”; Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.) and his allies have seized on the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, ACORN, which has worked to register more than 100,000 lower-income and minority voters. Some of the registrations have been faked and investigations are underway in some key states. Even though Republicans have leveled the same attack against Democrats in recent election cycles, accusing Sen. Obama (D-Ill.) of stealing the election could preemptively undermine the legitimacy of his presidency. It’s part of the Republican DNA to accuse Democrats of stealing elections just as Democrats accuse Republicans of intimidating minorities. Continue Reading

Ritchie: Changes to Minnesota law should prevent voter-challenge shenanigans and conflicts

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It’s that time again. In the past couple of weeks, the thoughts of the left-lib blogosphere have turned back to fears of voter harassment and disenfranchisement schemes of the sort that made headlines in 2000 and 2004. The discussion is driven in part by a story that our sister site the Michigan Messenger broke on September 10, when reporter Eartha Jane Melzer wrote that one GOP county chair there was “planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election as part of the state GOP’s effort to challenge some voters on Election Day.” (Today Melzer updates that story with news that House Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers has asked the Justice Department to investigate those claims.)
Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie says election laws here–specifically, the state’s same-day registration policy, along with a few key reforms enacted after conflicts over partisan voter challenges in the state’s 2004 election–make it much more difficult for partisans to game the system by constructing specious grounds for residency challenges or by mounting wholesale objections that serve to slow polling lines and discourage would-be voters. I spoke to Ritchie late last Friday. Of the post-2004 reforms, he says, “First, challengers have to be from Minnesota and to show proof of residency. Continue Reading