Who gets to vote?

It's been an issue at the Capitol this session, certainly. The Senate killed a bill a couple of weeks ago that would've required certain documents to be shown (photo ID) by people who intend to vote -- "providing proof of United States citizenship in the form of a passport, birth certificate, or naturalization document, making an oath in the form prescribed by the secretary of state and providing proof of residence."

Today, the Senate took another crack at clarifying what documents are required for same-day registration -- a photo ID and a utility bill. (SF 2976). That pretty much codifies the current system. It passed the Senate although, with committee deadlines coming, looks like it's been sent to a House committee to die. We'll see.

Sen. Warren Limmer, as the last speaker, said he found it interesting that there was so much discussion on the Senate floor when yesterday a Senate committee "denied people the right to vote" (the marriage amendment). Maybe this question should be added to November too.

By the way if you would like to learn how to vote illegally in Minnesota, watch the debate. I don't know if any of them will work, but let me know.

Here's the roll call courtesy of the handy, dandy Votetracker.

Oh, speaking of Votetracker, we've made one change. We've added category headings to make it easier to find individual issues. Also, and this isn't new, did you know you can sort votes by party, district, and vote? So you can find quickly who jumped ship on particular issues (or who didn't).

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.