12-053 - 07-03 - oppose constitutional amendment - photo id for voting Resolution 12-53 July 3, 2012
Member Pentel introduced the following resolution and moued its adoption:
RESOLUTION OPPC�SING CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT QUESTION AS
PHQTO IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED FOR VOTING
WHEREAS the proposed constitutional amendment question states "Shall the
Minnesota Constitution be amended to require all voters to present valid photo identification
to vote and to require all voters to present valid photo identification to vote and to require
the state to provide free identification to eligible votes, effective July 1, 2013" does not give
all the information needed far the voter to make an informed decision; and
WHEREAS the City of Golden Valley supports the League of Women Voters pasition
that key facts are omitted or obscured by the ballot question such as:
the question posed to the voter differs from the language of the actual amendment
as to which voters would be required to show identification; and
the question on the ballot asks if the voters should show valid ID, but the
amendment passed by the Legislature requires that the ID be a government-issued
ID; and
the question does not state that all voters would need to underga "substantially
equivalent eligibility and verification standards. " This phrase was not clearly defined
in the Legislative debate it is uncertain how this would impact same-day registration,
absentee voting, and mail-in voting; and
the actual amendment would put a system of provisional ballots in Minnesota's
Constitution. This is not referenced anywhere in the ballot question; and
WHEREAS the proposed amendment would introduce a new and costly election
system called provisional voting that could lead to hundreds of thousands of provisional
ballots being submitted but not counted on Eleetion Day. These provisional ballots would
be processed by local officials starting the day after the election, delaying the reporting of
election results and risking the potential of both widespread disenfranchisement
and contested election results if as many provisional ballots ga uncounted as in other
states; and
WHEREAS the proposed amendment would require the nearly 250,000
Minnesotans who now vote by mail, including military and civilian absentee vaters and
many township residents, to provide an as yet undefined "proof of identity" befare being
allowed to cast their vote; and
Resolution 12-53 - Continued July 3, 2012
WHEREAS the proposed amendment would block from voting any of the more than
84,000 registered Minnesota voters who currently do not have a State of Minnesota-
government issued photographic identification card if they cannot obtain one. The proposed
amendment allows no exceptions for religious objections, military service, disabilities, age
or other provisions, making Minnesota the only state in the nation to propose these new
regulations without exemptions; and
WHEREAS the proposed amendment would cost more to implement and operate -
including the start-up and ongaing costs of the new provisional voting system and
expenses related to the new requirements for proof of identity for in-person; and
WHEREAS these new costs would fall largely an local taxpayers, resulting in higher
property taxes or the elimination of other services; and
WHEREAS Minnesota currently leads the nation in election administration and voter
participation and Golden Valley exceeds the State percentage of voter turnout; and
WHEREAS there are alternatives for the visual verification of voters that are much
less expensive and would avoid the disenfranchisement and other negative consequences
of an inflexible constitutional amendment; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Golden Valley Gouncil opposes the
propased Minnesota constitutional amendment on Voter ID language and supports the vate
"no" to the question on November 6, 2Q12.
Shepar M. Harri , Ma or
ATTEST:
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usan M. Virnig, City Clerk
The motion for the adoption of the foregoing resolution was seconded by Member Freiberg
and upon a vote being taken thereon, the following voted in favor thereof: Clausen,
Freiberg, Harris and Pentel; and the following was absent: Scanlon; and the following voted
against the same: none, whereupon said resolution was declared duly passed and
adopted, signed by the Mayor and his signature attested by the City Clerk.