Voter ID or National ID: A European perspective

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As a German citizen studying at Hamline University, I was very surprised to hear Minnesota’s debate about Voter ID. I didn’t know that the US has no common national ID. As a German citizen I have a national ID since I became 16 and we are required to carry it with us all the time. I never questioned this law and the whole idea of a national ID until now. The people in Minnesota will vote in November on whether it should be required to show a government-issued photo ID on Election Day or not. I thought that all U.S. citizens already would have at least one proof for their identity, whether a state ID or a driver’s license or a student ID.What can people do when they do not have any kind of ID? Continue Reading

OPINION | Reflections of New Minnesotans: What is at stake with voter repression laws?

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Proponents of voter identification laws argue that we need state-issued identification cards to prevent voter fraud. But, there is no evidence to suggest this. In fact, in Minnesota, no one has ever been convicted of voter impersonation. It is increasingly clear that Republicans are using voter repression laws as a political strategy to control who holds office with an agenda to pass conservative legislation across the board.What these laws will do is limit voter participation.Indeed, there have been cases of felons voting, however, these would not be prevented by requiring photo identification of voters. What do these laws mean for Minnesota’s high voter turner outs? Continue Reading