Politics & Government

VIDEO (UPDATED): MN House Passes Voter Photo ID Constitutional Amendment

Knuth: Amendment treats private, public college students differently.

Update (2:30 a.m. Wednesday): The Minnesota House of Representatives passed a bill early Wednesday to put a Constitutional amendment on the ballot next November requiring voters to show photo ID when they vote.

The vote, like most others Tuesday on proposed changes to the bill, was along party lines, 72-62.

The Minnesota Senate Rules Committee takes up the bill Wednesday. If approved by the Legislature, voters will decide by referendum at next fall's general election whether to change the state Constitution.

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Another referendum banning same-sex marriage is already set to appear on the ballot.

Update (8 p.m. Tuesday): State Rep. Kate Knuth (DFL-50B), who represents the southeast corner of Fridley, spoke Tuesday evening on the floor of the Minnesota House of Representatives against a proposed Constitutional amendment that would require voters to show government-issued photo ID at the polls.

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Knuth repeatedly asked bill author Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer (R-Big Lake) whether the bill would treat private college students and public college students differently.

The language of Kiffmeyer's proposed amendment requires voters to show government-issued identification. Knuth said a student at Bethel College, in her district, would not have a government-issued ID but a University of Minnesota student would.

Kiffmeyer answered that student organizations would help students who lacked government-issued IDs.

"I'm not going to ask again," Knuth replied. "She wouldn't give me a straight answer."

Later, Kiffmeyer acknowledged that students at private colleges wouldn't have government-issue IDs.

"But what is important is that the students have an ID and that they be able to vote," Kiffmeyer said. "Everybody these days needs a form of identification."

Original post (5 p.m. Tuesday): The Minnesota House of Representatives debates and decides Tuesday whether to put a Constitutional amendment requiring photo ID at polling places on the November ballot.

Watch it here live via The UpTake.


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