Voter Suppression Legislation – HARMFUL, UNNECESSARY, and COSTLY
Two bills have been introduced, HF 210 and HF 89, in the Minnesota legislature that would force all registered voters to show a photo ID before they can vote. This is a threat to our democracy, and would have a terrible effect on hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans by taking away their right to vote. By creating multiple barriers to voting, these laws would roll the clock back to the days when states refused to let women, persons of color, young adults 18-21, and those without property vote.
Voter Suppression Bills are HARMFUL
Forcing people to show a state-mandated photo ID before being given their ballot would make someone’s constitutional right to vote depend on a piece of plastic. Under a similar Voter Suppression law in Indiana, studies showed that the following numbers of registered voters did not have a valid ID, and therefore would not be able to vote:
- 13% of all registered voters
- 16.4% of those over 68 years old
- 18.1% of African-Americans
- 20.3% of people 18-34 years old
- 17.5% of people who earned less than $40,000 a year
Voter Suppression Bills are UNNECESSARY
Minnesota’s election system is a national model. We consistently lead the nation in voter turnout and high-profile recounts in 2008 and 2010 confirmed the integrity of our system. In 2008 there were 26 voters convicted of voter fraud, and they were persons ineligible to vote. Why would we take away the right to vote of tens of thousands of eligible, law-abiding Minnesotans in order to prevent 26 people from voting in error?
Voter Suppression Bills are COSTLY
Minnesota struggles to close a $5 billion budget deficit and has been forced to make cuts to critical public services, like public schools and health care. Voter Suppression Bills would cost the state in millions of additional election dollars:
- HF 210 requires new “electronic poll book” technology that is unproven and will cost at least $20 million to implement.
- The bill requires the state to provide driver’s licenses and ID cards for free to all – at a cost that is not yet determined
- As well as money for federally-mandated provisional balloting, public education on photo ID requirements, election staff education, and an increased number of election judges
Minnesota has plenty of serious issues to face. Thousands of Minnesotans are unable to find decent jobs, the state budget is in shambles, and we face serious racial disparities in education, employment, and health. We need our elected leaders to tackle these problems, not rolling back the clock on our democracy and taking away our right to vote.
Join the Fight
TakeAction Minnesota will fight hard to protect our right to vote. We need YOU to be part of the effort!
Get Involved:
- Send a message to your legislator, telling them to vote NO on Voter Suppression Bills!
- Sign the petition against Voter Suppression Bills!
- Visit the Voter Suppression Bill Tools page to learn about other ways to get involved
- Contact Jonathan Maurer-Jones (Jonathan@TakeActionMinnesota.org or 651-379-0750) for more information