Minnesota Independent » vetos http://minnesotaindependent.com News. Politics. Media. Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:37:40 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 Pawlenty’s voter-registration vetoes cut new drivers and ex-cons no slack http://minnesotaindependent.com/35446/pawlenty-veto-motor-voter-felons http://minnesotaindependent.com/35446/pawlenty-veto-motor-voter-felons#comments Fri, 22 May 2009 19:42:47 +0000 Chris Steller http://minnesotaindependent.com/?p=35446 veto-voteThe words “veto” and “vote” may share the same letters but they’re at odds on Gov. Pawlenty’s desk the last two days. He won’t let Minnesotans get registered automatically as voters when they get licensed as drivers, and he…]]> veto-voteThe words “veto” and “vote” may share the same letters but they’re at odds on Gov. Pawlenty’s desk the last two days. He won’t let Minnesotans get registered automatically as voters when they get licensed as drivers, and he won’t let felons get a letter about it when they get their voting rights back, either.

On Wednesday, Pawlenty vetoed (pdf) a bill that would have required that the state notify felons when their civil rights restored upon completion of their sentences — including providing voter-registration applications. He wrote:

[C]itizens should bear some responsibility for being informed about their situations and rights.

Last night, Pawlenty vetoed (pdf) a “motor-voter” bill that would have automatically registered eligible Minnesota residents as voters when they apply for licenses or permits to drive, or another state ID card. He wrote:

[R]egistering to vote should be a voluntary, intentional act.

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