Photo Identification required for voting

The Constitutional Amendment for Voter ID is stated on the ballot as:

Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to require all voters to present valid photo identification to vote and to require the state to provide free identification to eligible voter, effective July 1, 2013?
What does this constitutional amendment really mean? Do you know all of the extras that the legislature has included in this amendment?

If this passes, a voter voting in person must present valid government-issued photographic identification before receiving a ballot. If a voter does not have this then they will have to vote on a provisional ballot and their vote will not be counted on Election Day. The voter will then need to come to the courthouse within a few days to show ID or obtain a new one for their vote to be counted. If they cannot produce an ID in the time allowed then the provisional ballot will not be opened and counted.

Dodge County Commissioner Lyle Tjosaas of Kasson who is running unopposed, said that on the surface the voter ID amendment looks like a good idea. When people get all the facts it does not look like a such a good idea to require voter ID. In fact the amendment is not even complete and still has language to be added, which will be done the next legislative session.

The proposed constitutional amendment will have costs to Dodge County for the additional items needed to run elections. “The county will have to purchase poll books for the polling place and train and educate  additional election judges on the new provisional voting system. The county will also have the added cost of supplies needed to do provisional ballots and the additional staff time to work with provisional ballots, “ said Sara Marquardt who is in charge of voter information and registration for Dodge County.

The estimated cost for Dodge County if this passes is between $71,000 and $122,000 depending on the type of additional equipment the county will have to buy.

The cost of standard poll books, includes the computers, signature pad, ID readers, cables, other peripherals and tax is $1,625 each. Dodge County has 21 precincts so this cost will be $34,125.00.

The cost of electronic poll books that have the power to have a real-time connection to SVRS (Statewide Voter Registration System-this is what the county uses for tracking registered voters) and meet the other requirements of HF 210, including the computers, ID card reader, cables and other peripherals and tax, is $4,028 each. With 21 precincts the cost will be $84,588 at least. In some precincts the county may need to have additional poll books. The county will also have to have printers in each polling place for an additional cost of $339 each including tax. The county may only have to have one per polling place for a cost of $6,102.00. The machines alone will cost Dodge County $40,000 and $91,000.

“This is the cost for only one of the poll books in each precinct, I am sure that some of our precincts will need at least two poll books. Plus we will have to have at least one backup machine just like we do the AutoMARK and M100 precinct counter,” said Sara Marquardt.

The county will also have to pay for provisional ballots, provisional ballot envelopes, training for election judges and staff who are administrating the provisional ballots. Post-Election the election staff will have to put in additional time to help voters who return with IDs and to process the provisional ballots. Each polling place will need an additional secured ballot box for the provisional ballots. Each polling place will need an additional secured ballot box for the provisional ballot that will cost approximately $100. So Dodge County will need $2,100 for the 21 precincts.

There are so many unanswered questions with this constitutional amendment. How will this effect absentee voting? How will this effect the overseas and military voting? Will there still be same-day voter registration?

The amendment says that “All voters, including those not voting in person, must be subject to substantially equivalent identity and eligibility verification prior to ballot being cast or counted.” The absentee, overseas and military voters will have to present ID somehow to election officials. But how can someone in California or the Philippines provide the county with ID? They could send a copy of the ID, but how will the county know the person voting is the person on the ID? This will also be hard for seniors or persons with disabilities to produce an ID.

The ammendment states that the state will provide identification at no charge to an eligible voter who does not have ID. Where will these ID’s be available? At the county level who will pay for the technology to make these ID’s? Also to receive the free ID, you will need to pay for the needed documents. These include a birth certificate or marriage license.