Minnesota Amendment 2, Require Photo Voter Identification Measure (2012)
| Minnesota Amendment 2 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Voter ID policy |
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| Status |
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| Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
Origin |
Minnesota Amendment 2 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Minnesota on November 6, 2012. It was defeated.
A "yes" vote supported amending the Minnesota Constitution to require voters to present a valid photo ID when voting in person or government-issued proof of identity when voting by other methods. |
A "no" vote opposed amending the Minnesota Constitution to require voters to present a valid photo ID when voting in person or government-issued proof of identity when voting by other methods. |
Election results
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Minnesota Amendment 2 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 1,362,009 | 46.95% | ||
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1,539,044 | 53.05% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Amendment 2 was as follows:
| “ | 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 voters, effective July 1, 2013? | ” |
Support
- Protect My Vote led the campaign in support of the measure.[1]
Supporters
- Senator Scott Newman[2]
- Former Senator Norm Coleman[3]
- Dan McGrath, chairman of Protect My Vote and executive director of Minnesota Majority[4]
Arguments
- Sen. Scott Newman, the bill author, called the proposal an "additional measure of integrity" and that the measure would "photo ID mandate to age, residency and citizenship voting requirements already in the state Constitution."[5]
Opposition
Opponents
- American Association of Retired Persons[6]
- League of Women Voters of Minnesota[7]
- Minnesota Common Cause
- American Civil Liberties Union[8]
- Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie[9]
- Former Vice President Walter Mondale
- Former Gov. Arne Carlson[10]
- Minnesota Council of Churches[11]
Arguments
- "A new voter ID would disproportionately affect older voters because we know they're less likely to have the required identification," said Amy McDonough, a spokesperson with AARP. The AARP, or American Association of Retired Persons, was against the proposed measure.[6]
Lawsuit
| 2012 measure lawsuits |
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| By state |
| Arizona • Arkansas • Colorado • Florida • Maryland Michigan • Massachusetts • Minnesota Missouri • Montana • Nevada North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma Oregon • Rhode Island |
| By lawsuit type |
| Ballot text Campaign contributions Constitutionality Motivation of sponsors Petitioner residency Post-certification removal Single-subject rule Signature challenges Initiative process |
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit with the Minnesota Supreme Court challenging the wording of the ballot language. Charles Samuelson, executive director of the ACLU-MN, said, "This ballot proposal is incredibly troubling because it asks voters to put an amendment in the Constitution in a manner that is misleading, confusing and unclear."[12]
Polls
- See also: Polls, 2012 ballot measures
- According to a KSTP/SurveyUSA poll, conducted October 12 through 14, 53 percent of people surveyed said they would vote for the amendment, 40 percent said they would not and 7 percent remain undecided. The survey was conducted with a pool of 550 likely voters and has a margin of error is +/- 4.3 percent.[13]
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| Date of Poll | Pollster | In favor | Opposed | Undecided | Number polled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 12-14, 2012 | SurveyUSA | 53% | 40% | 7% | 550 |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Minnesota Constitution
Proposed amendments must be agreed to by a majority of the members of each chamber of the Minnesota State Legislature.
In Minnesota, the only type of ballot measures permitted are legislatively referred constitutional amendments, which do not require the governor's signature. One of the chief proponents of a voter identification requirement was Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer (R). Rep. Kiffmeyer had also proposed two bills which would have mandated voter identification via traditional legislation. These bills were as follows:
House File 210's companion Senate bill, SF 509, was passed by the Senate and the House. However, Governor Dayton (D) vetoed the bill on May 26, 2011.[14][15] Kiffmeyer and others proposed the constitutional amendment, which does not require the governor's signature: Minnesota House File 1597.[16]
On February 22, 2012, the Senate State Government Innovation and Veterans Committee approved the amendment 8-5 along party lines.[17]
On March 19, the Minnesota Rules and Legislative Administration Committee approved the amendment, thereby passing it on to the full House, where it was approved.[18]
On Friday, March 23, 2012, the Minnesota Senate passed the amendment on a 36-30 vote. This action passed the amendment to the November ballot.[19]
However, the measure was held off the ballot. Another version of the bill was being considered in legislature, therefore a conference committee drafted a compromise bill, one that would be placed on the ballot should the state legislature approve it. According to reports, the compromise bill was passed unanimously by the committee, sending it one more time to the lawmaking body for ballot approval.[20]
This compromise version of the bill was then passed by the House on April 3, 2012, with a 72-57 vote. The next day it was passed by the Senate by a vote of 35-29.[21]
See also
External links
Support
Footnotes
- ↑ Protect My Vote, "Home," accessed January 24, 2025
- ↑ MPR News, "Groups sue over Minn. voter ID amendment," accessed January 24, 2025
- ↑ Minnpost.com, "Voter ID: With no evidence of either a current problem or a credible solution, it's a waste of money," October 17, 2012
- ↑ Minnesota Public Radio, "Minnesota Majority's Dan McGrath on group's support for voter ID amendment," October 18, 2012
- ↑ Grand Forks Herald, "Proposed voter photo ID amendment receives first examination at Minnesota Legislature," February 1, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 KARE 11, "Voter ID amendment gets first debate," February 2, 2012
- ↑ West Central Tribune, "Program on voter ID is tonight at Bethel in Willmar, Minn.," ay 14, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ MinnPost, "Could Photo ID be scuttled even if Minnesota voters approve constitutional amendment?" May 22, 2012
- ↑ KEYC "New Website Addresses Proposed Amendments To The State Constitution," May 23, 2012
- ↑ Minnesota Public Radio, "Mondale, Carlson to lead voter ID opposition," June 26, 2012
- ↑ Newsmax.com, "Fight Over Minnesota Voter ID Amendment Heats Up," October 17, 2012
- ↑ Alexandria Echo Press, "Voter ID amendment: Minnesota’s version of ‘Papers, please’?" June 22, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ SurveyUSA, "3 Weeks Till Votes Are Counted, 'Yes' on Minnesota Marriage Amendment Now in Jeopardy; Obama Steady Atop Romney; Klobuchar Re-Elected:," October 15, 2012
- ↑ The Minnesota Daily, "Voter ID passes House, headed to Senate," May 6, 2011
- ↑ Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Voter ID-card bill clears House," May 6, 2011
- ↑ Star Tribune, "Photo ID for voting is on a fast track," April 30, 2011
- ↑ Associated Press, "Minnesota Committee Advances Voter ID Ballot Measure," accessed February 23, 2012
- ↑ Minnesota Public Radio, "Full Minn. House to take up voter ID amendment," March 19, 2012
- ↑ Associated Press, "Senate passes photo ID, but critics vow litigation," March 24, 2012
- ↑ Star Tribune, "An all-GOP conference panel sent the proposed constitutional amendment to full Legislature," April 2, 2012
- ↑ Star Tribune, "Voter ID amendment is now up to Minnesota's voters," April 4, 2012
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