Governor Dayton's Statement on the Proposed Constitutional Amendment Requiring Photo ID

Statement

Today, Governor Mark Dayton released the following statement on the Proposed Constitutional Amendment to require photo identification to vote in Minnesota elections:

"This is a partisan amendment based on a false premise that voter fraud is a significant problem in Minnesota. Our election system is the best in the nation. We have the highest voter turnout year after year and under intense, bipartisan scrutiny, the recent statewide recounts have highlighted how reliable the results are. Much of the strength of the system derives from over 150 years of bipartisan work and its federated nature -- the 87 county auditors, hundreds of municipal clerks, and 30,000 volunteer election judges who administer Minnesota's elections and ensure they are free and fair.

"Republicans in the legislature had two years to negotiate bipartisan reforms to election law, and it is disappointing that their failure to do so has led to an unnecessary constitutional amendment that would make it harder for law abiding citizens, including tens of thousands of seniors, service members, and students, to exercise their right to vote. I cannot support a constitutional amendment that is pushed through the legislative process by only one political party - and neither should Minnesotans if they see it on the ballot this fall."

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