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Capitol View®
Tom Scheck

Groups want photo id requirement at St. Paul polling places.

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The Minnesota Voters Alliance and the Citizen's for Responsible Taxation say they're launching a petition drive to change the St. Paul city charter to require voters to present photo identification in St. Paul city elections. The groups say the want to submit the necessary signatures by July 10th, 2010 to get a question on the November, 2010 ballot. The groups argue that photo identification will reduce fraud at the ballot box:

"Voter ID protects the rights of legitimate voters! If undocumented persons, convicted felons and dead people are allowed to vote, or if properly registered voters have their identities stolen by someone casting an illegal ballot, THE VOTES OF ALL LEGITIMATE VOTERS ARE DEVALUED!

The electoral system cannot inspire public confidence if no safeguards exist to deter or detect fraud or to confirm the identity of voters. Photo identification cards currently are needed to board a plane, enter federal buildings, and cash a check or even rent a rug doctor."

The Minnesota Voter's Alliance unsucessfully sued to prevent Minneapolis from using instant runoff voting in this year's election. Former Republican Secretary of State (and now state rep) Mary Kiffmeyer is on the group's board of advisers.

Meanwhile, opponents of the photo id requirement say there has never been an example of voter impersonation on the books and it will cost the state and local government millions to enact. Here's DFL Secretary of State Mark Ritchie on the issue from February:

"The only argument that's ever made is that this will prevent voter impersonation," Ritchie said. "I've looked through 150 years of Minnesota voting history and haven't found one case. But we have now determined how much the proposals will cost and it's millions for everybody. The locals, the state, everybody involved."