Voter photo ID bill goes to Dayton after House passes 74-58
Speaker Kurt Zellers, top, bows his head in prayer as Chaplain Gordy St. Dennis opens the Minnesota House with a prayer Saturday. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
The Minnesota House voted 74-58 to require voters to show photo ID at the polls.
The Senate already passed the bill, so it will now go to Gov. Mark Dayton.
The House had planned on voting on the measure yesterday, but DFL lawmakers raised questions about whether enough notice was given for a conference committee at which some changes to the bill were made. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, withdrew the bill from the floor yesterday and brought it back up today.
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Kiffmeyer said all public meeting requirements were met.
"They were given a heads up and information by both the House and the Senate staff," Kiffmeyer said.
DFL members continued to question whether the public was given enough notice that the conference committee was meeting. Kiffmeyer said notice of the meeting was on the House website, and e-mails were sent.
After voting to take up the bill, DFL members listed several problems they see in the proposal, including concerns over whether certain groups of voters would be disenfranchised.
Rep. Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said she's concerned college students won't have the time or flexibility to follow up with documentation after casting a provisional ballot.
"We all know teenagers, we all know young 20-somethings," she said. "As a practical matter, what this voter ID bill means, unfortunately, is that thousands, maybe tens of thousands of college students, would lost their opportunity to vote."
Republicans said the legislation is needed to improve integrity in the system.
Gov. Dayton has said he does not support the bill and will likely veto it.