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Tim Pugmire
St. Paul, Minn.

GOP leaders to push voter ID bill forward

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House Republican leaders say they expect to send a stand-alone voter identification bill to Gov. Dayton in the coming weeks, even if there are no DFL supporters.

Committees began hearings earlier this week on the proposal to require people to show a photo ID before they can vote. House Speaker Kurt Zellers told reporters Friday that a similar bill which also includes broader election law changes would need some bipartisan support to proceed.

But Zellers said the photo ID requirement has been thoroughly vetted in previous sessions.

"It's not that scary. It's really easy, and it's something involving integrity into our system," said Zellers. "You go out and ask any Minnesotan walking down the street, 'Do you think it would be better for us to show your ID when you vote or not?' They will agree, 'Sure, why not.' It's not going to hurt anybody."

Earlier this week, Gov. Dayton said the voter ID bill was a solution seeking a problem, but he stopped short of threatening a veto.

Photo ID supporters could also bypass the governor and push the issue as a constitutional amendment.