Republicans introduce voter ID constitutional amendment

Last week, Republican Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer of Big Lake said that if she couldn’t get her bill to require photo identification at the voting booth passed into law, she would seek a constitutional amendment. She made good on that promise Wednesday when she and 33 other Republicans introduced a measure that if passed would put the issue on the ballot in 2012.

Under the bill, HF1597, the ballot question would read, “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to require that all voters present an approved form of photographic identification prior to voting; all voters be subject to identical eligibility verification standards regardless of the time of their registration; and the state provide at no charge an approved photographic identification to eligible voters?”

Kiffmeyer already has a bill, HF210, in the House that is on the move; it’s passed three committees and has the support of the vast majority of Republicans. A companion bill, SF509, is awaiting a vote on the Senate floor. Gov. Mark Dayton has not threatened to veto the bill yet, but said he’d like campaign finance reform to a part of any elections bill.

The constitutional amendment was introduced by Kiffmeyer along with Reps. Mike Benson of Rochester, Kurt Zellers of Maple Grove, Pat Garofalo of Farmington, Matt Dean of Dellwood, Kurt Daudt of Crown, Sondra Erickson of Princeton, Pam Myhra of Burnsville, Ron Shimanski of Silver Lake, Larry Howes of Walker, Steve Drazkowski of Mazeppa, Glenn Gruenhagen of Glencoe, Chris Swedzinski of Ghent, Kathy Lohmer of Lake Elmo, Bruce Anderson of Buffalo Township, Paul Torkelson of Nelson Township, Debra Kiel of Crookston, Pat Mazorol of Bloomington, Steve Gottwalt of St. Cloud, Keith Downey of Edina, Bruce Vogel of Willmar, Andrea Kieffer of Woodbury, Dan Fabian of Roseau, Roger Crawford of Mora, Kelby Woodard of Belle Plaine, Doug Wardlow of Eagan, Mike LeMieur of Little Falls, Tony Cornish of Good Thunder, Ernie Leidiger of Mayer, Duane Quam of Byron, Connie Doepke of Orono, Bob Barrett of Shafer, Paul Anderson of Starbuck, and Greg Davids of Preston.