Minnesota GOP Refuses To Allow Citizens To Testify As It Steals Their Right To Vote | Addicting Info

Last Wednesday, more than 200 protesters holding signs that read “ALL Our Voices Count No Voter ID Amendment” waited in the halls of the capital building while the Minnesota Senate committee conducted a hearing on a voter ID amendment. Why were they waiting in the halls? The Republican lead committee allowed no citizens to testify on the legislation. Predictably, it passed the committee on a party line vote, 8 Republicans for-6 Democrats against. Last year the Republican lead state congress passed a bill requiring voter ID and it was vetoed by Democratic Governor Mark Dayton. It really got me to wondering, why would 200 citizens protest the prospect of showing id to vote? It doesn’t sound unreasonable, after all, you have to show ID for almost everything now. What’s one more?

At least, that’s what Republicans want you think. The reality is far different.

Republicans have led the charge on supposed voter fraud, contending the problem is widespread and corrupting our democracy. Since 2011, thirty-four states have proposed and/or passed some form of voter ID laws; a comprehensive list can be found here. One reason for the panic that seems to be recurring on the conservative side is that according to a PEW research study 1.8 million deceased citizens are still registered. The idea is that people can then use those names to illegally vote. But then, according to the same study, streamlining the election process would fix that particular problem, no ID needed.

In fact, the George W. Bush administration was so concerned about voter fraud it had the Justice Department conduct a 5 year study on the issue. And they found … nothing much really. The New York Times ran an article about it in April 2007: