SO what is the problem?

As is always the case with simple measures designed to either improve national security or decrease vote fraud, the dems get their panties in a bundle over this:

Lawmakers want Minnesota voters to show photo ID

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ST. PAUL - Minnesota should join seven other states in requiring voters to present a photo ID before casting a ballot, two Republican lawmakers said Thursday.

State Reps. Tom Emmer of Delano and Joe Hoppe of Chaska want election law changed so voters must prove their identity by bringing a government-issued picture ID card to the polls. If they don't have a driver's license, passport or another official ID, they would be able to sign an affidavit swearing to their identity.

They said the bill isn't in response to any particular cases of voter fraud in Minnesota.

"We're not going to wait until we have a problem," Emmer said.

Hoppe said it's an issue of maintaining public confidence in elections.

They held a news conference to detail the bill on the same day Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a new voter identification law. A previous Georgia law to require photo ID was blocked by a federal judge, who said it amounted to an unconstitutional poll tax because some people couldn't afford to buy a state ID.

The Minnesota lawmakers said they believe their bill takes those concerns into account.

But Beth Fraser, public policy director for the Minnesota Alliance for Progressive Action, said the proposal would make voting tougher, especially for the homeless or people who no longer drive.

"If I lose my wallet, I lose my right to vote," she said.

Errr... uhhh.. ahemmm... I harken back to this:

If they don't have a driver's license, passport or another official ID, they would be able to sign an affidavit swearing to their identity.

And in light of what people go through to vote in Iraq, can you please spare me the "inconvenience card" while I play Cry Me a River on the world's smallest violin:

Sen. John Hottinger, DFL-St. Peter, said the bill could cause longer lines at the polls and discourage voting.

And, last but not least, the "We ain't got no stinkin' problem" argument:

"Minnesota has not had a problem with voter fraud," he said. "In fact, we've long been a beacon to the rest of the nation for voter turnout, and it just doesn't make sense to make people jump through more hoops when voting."

Well, there are some people, Mr. Hottinger, who beg to differ:

In St. Paul, Minnesota, a man who was pulled over by police was found to have some 300 voter registration cards in the trunk of his car that had been filled out, but never submitted.

Once again, the liberal group ACORN is under suspicion. Since last fall, this group has claimed to have registered more than 36,000 new voters to the rolls of Minnesota.

And if that's not enough, try taking a gander at our good friends at Powerline:

Among the well-funded and supposedly independent groups supporting John Kerry in the campaign is Americans Coming Together (ACT). ACT has taken notice of Minnesota's special vulnerabilty to vote fraud and organized a sophisticated effort to exploit it in a manner that violates Minnesota law. In Minnesota the Bush campaign has come into the possession of the following email from ACT to its Minnesota volunteers:

Election Day is upon us. You are confirmed to volunteer with ACT (America Coming Together - http://www.actforvictory.org/) on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov 2.

We will be creating name badges that include your Ward and Precinct information for each of the thousands of volunteers that day to make it easier to find a volunteer to vouch for a voter at the polls.

I am emailing you to request your street address, city and zipcode. We've already got your other contact information, but your record in our database does not include this information.

You can save us time on election day by replying today to this email with this information, or give us a call at [phone number with St. Paul area code].

In order to get your badge correct, please reply by Thursday.

Thank you for your help and cooperation. See you on Election Day!

As far as affordability of state-issued ID cards, I direct you here:

Identification Card	$15.50
Senior Identification Card (age 65 and older)	$10.75
Reduced Fee (disability) Identification Card Requires verification of disability. You can download the verification form under DOWNLOADABLE FORMS heading (above, right).	$0.50

Face it.. the only reason that the DFL has their panties (those who wear them that is) in a bundle over this is because they're afraid that they'll lose DFL votes. Pure and simple.

If you're going to oppose something that makes sense, at least have the cajones to say why.

(Filed under elections, moonbat adventures)