Below is my letter to the editor published in today's Duluth News Tribune opinion page. I spoke out about the proposed Minnesota voter ID amendment and to the DNT critic of the bipartisan effort to fight the proposal. (Check out the DNT link HERE.)
I was glad to see former Vice President Walter Mondale and
ex-Gov. Arne Carlson sign on as leaders of the campaign to defeat the proposed
state constitutional amendment that would require all Minnesota voters to show
a photo ID at the polls. (“Opponents enlist Carlson, Mondale to fight
proposal,” June 27 News Tribune.)
The bipartisan nature of their participation – Mondale is a
Democrat and Carlson a Republican – should help persuade Minnesotans of both
political leanings that the measure is nothing more than a Republican attempt
to prevent some people from voting.
But what struck me about the News Tribune’s report was a
statement by Republican Dan McGrath of Minnesota Majority, which supports the
ID amendment, saying he doesn’t believe Mondale and Carlson will influence the
outcome.
“Having some former politicians … speak against it – these
guys are no election experts. It’s not going to have any impact on the
campaign.”
How’s that again? A former U.S. senator and vice president
of the United States who also ran for president (Mondale) and a former two-term
Minnesota governor, state auditor and lawmaker (Carlson) are no election
experts? If they aren’t, who is?
I hope they have plenty of influence in opposing this
misguided initiative reflecting Republican paranoia that there is an election
fraud problem. That paranoia was never more in evidence than in the last
gubernatorial election when Democrat Mark Dayton narrowly defeated Republican
Tom Emmer. After the votes were first tallied, former state Republican chairman
Tony Sutton angrily stated, “There’s something fishy going on here.”
Well, there is something fishy going on now: The Republican
effort to codify in the state constitution a measure designed to make it
difficult for many voters – especially those favoring Democrats – to exercise
their franchise. It stinks to high heaven.
Jim Heffernan
