Excellent and to-the-point! I remember the days when EVERYONE -- Republican, Democrat, Independent, whatever -- wanted to make it as easy as possible for all of us to exercise our constitutional RIGHT to vote!

Minnesota voter turn out is typically less about %70. Pretty high and shows people are spending the time to participate in the process. The people who vote are demonstrating engagement with the process. There willingness to participate in this includes a photo ID. This seemingly is the least of the voter process. A photo ID is required to buy a pair of socks with a credit card, buy beer, drive a car, or board a plane. Having a photo ID is a requirement for daily living in these times. In order to participate in society, a photo ID is an absolute requirement.
For those that dont have one, it would indicate they are probably not actively participating in society and the economy. If a photo ID is the main obstacle to voting, and you dont have one, and complain that you cant vote, and elect to not vote by not getting one, one would have to question the depths of your civic participation.
As far as voter fraud-it would seem to lessen it over not having one at all. Only Herman Munster could not pass for Barney Fife at the voting booth.

There are definitely pros and cons to voter ID, but my question is why would anyone use the catholic church and its stance on anything in formulating our opinions on anything? The catholic church is perhaps the most corrupt organization in the world. That's a bold statement, but how else would you describe a group that has perpetuated and all but encouraged the kind of atrocities committed by the church (and the evil individuals it supported over, breaking the law in the process, over again). The catholic church only cares about money, which is why it has encouraged destroying the earth with overpopulation. The church is motivated by money, not the teachings of Christ, and that has been proven time and again over the past several centuries. If the catholic church says something, our world we be much better off if folks do the wise thing and run the other way. Wake up people, especially those of you who have support this corrupt institution.

" The catholic church only cares about money, which is why it has encouraged destroying the earth with overpopulation."

You could make the same assertion about nearly every organized religious group. That doesn't make their views on social justice suspect. I'm not Catholic, but it's easy for me to appreciate and agree with certain aspects of their beliefs, and their focus on social and economic justice for all is right on. Guardian Angels is known throughout the broader community for their work in this area. Kudos to them for making our community a better place and helping to drive a higher vision of what it means to love your neighbor.

I worked at a liquor store for years. Everyone has an ID. How do these people get sudafed and other cold medications that require an ID. Don't they ever get sick?
Renee...my father who was blind and had no need of a drivers licence still managed to obtain a state ID card. Maybe you could be a good daughter and help your father get an ID. After all he did serve in WWll.

The catholic church is against Voter ID and they speak out against Global Warming and have a relief fund. Now I am convinced, thanks for swaying me Bob.

Bob, do you know if a person collecting social security is required to have an ID to collect the check?

My social security check is deposited directly into my checking account. However, as an election judge I had to accept the driver's license with an address from my precinct of a person that doesn't even live in the state. I did report it to the head election judge. So much for a photo ID. I would have preferred proof that he lived at the residence on the driver's license, e.g. a utility bill. The bottom line is that requiring a photo ID will disenfranchise voters that would be eligible voters except for the lack of bring a photo ID to the poll. We need to protect the right of people to vote. We also need to address voter fraud in a cost-effective manner.The right to vote is protected under the constitution, rights that some would like to take away for the sake of a poll tax or a photo ID.

So an ID is great to protect alcohol consumption or to stop grandma from buying cold medicine, but no verification should be allowed to vote? With today's law you can register with any utility bill, then vouch for 15 other people who have no verification. What stops 16 people from doing that 16 times? How would you ever even find fraud? You couldn't unless they were stupid enough to use their real names...

Is it really that hard to have an ID? Even if the state provides it to you for free? 42 states do not allow Same-Day-Registration.
Of the 8 that do:
Idaho Requires Photo ID
Iowa Requires Photo ID
Montana Requires ID
New Hampshire (must register by 5pm) Requires proof of citizenship and photo ID
Wisconsin Allows utility bills, photo ids, leases, etc
Wyoming Must register at County Office, not poling place. Requires ID, SSN, or possible with other documentation.
Washington D.C. Must live in the district for 30 days. If you register at poling place you cast a "special" ballot that is set aside.

Hmmmm... Seeming like we are nearly unique.

Derrick, buying alcohol and cold medicine are not rights guaranteed by the US Constitution; not only is voting a right guaranteed by the Constitution, it is also THE right without which all the other rights are pretty much meaningless. Our history has been one of expanding the right to vote, first to men without property, then to black men, then to women, then to young people who were old enough to be drafted into the military but not old enough to have an impact on the decision regarding going to war.
And yes, it can be that difficult, and expensive (even if the photo ID itself is free) to get a state issued ID. When I moved here from the east coast I had a very hard time because back east it was customary for a woman to replace her middle name with her maiden name when she got married; apparently that isn't the custom here. I had to access not only my birth certificate, but also the documentation showing my name change when I got married. Fortunately, I had to resources to get copies of those documents, but not everyone has that.

Joyce,
What resources were you so lucky to have that aren't available to others that allowed you to obtain a birth certificate and marriage certificate?

Warning, there is a scam video being circulated. Statement by Laura Fredrick Wang, Executive Director of League of Women Voters, "These videos were produced by James O'Keefe, a prankster with a history of releasing carefully edited and deceptive videos to further a political agenda. They paint a false picture of Minnesota's election system.

By the way I have no problem using a driver's license or other photo ID to assist in processing registered voters at the poll, as long as the lack of a photo ID is not used to disenfranchise a citizen who has the constitutional RIGHT TO VOTE. Requiring a photo ID would not solve voter fraud, but it would be the worse thing since the poll tax to disenfranchise the elderly, the poor and people of color.

Constitutional rights are allowed to be regulated, within reason. Surely the 8 other states (including Wisconsin and Indiana) are not infringing on their citizens rights too much by requiring voter ID. The Supreme Court adjudicated that case in 2008 in Indiana, affirming states do have the ability to require ID if they so choose.

The folks that say voter fraud doesn't exist in MN are minimizing the issue. There were over 2800 suspected ineligible voters submitted to county prosecutors in 2008, theoretically enough to change the outcome of the US Senate race. Unfortunately, these concerns were not investigated rigorously by county prosecutors, and certainly not by the Secretary of State. Why the position of Secretary of State, the official in charge of free and fair elections, is a partisan position is beyond my understanding, but I digress.

The amendment under discussion will likely not get into the procedure of which state ID's are allowable, or how the state ID's will be procured. That is a matter for the legislature and governor to sort out if the amendment passes. It wouldn't amount to a poll tax if free IDs could be provided to low income residents.

Since the author is against regulating voting rights further, I wonder if he would agree that guns should be able to be purchased without a state issued ID or felony check? Or is one constitutional right more important than another?

It is being challenged in Wisconsin. Many states once inacted poll taxes, but it was not constitutional. The bottom line is that voter I'd will do little to stop voter fraud, it may only stop impersonation, but it will disenfranchise many citizens. All the major faith groups oppose voter I'd, all the major non partisan groups oppose it. Only the Republican party likes it, much like they like the influx of money into political campaigns. This should be to convince an intelligent person that photo IDs create more problems than they solve and that they're another that will destroy our democracy.

Voting is a right, not a responsibility.
Voter Photo ID will not address most voter fraud, could create some fraud, and will likely result in voter suppression.
Voter Photo ID is being marketed as a tool to prevent fraud, but the very tools its proponents are using are a FRAUD. They circulated a video that was staged and had no basis in fact, e.g. Tiebow video. Then they circulated so-called research done by Pew Research Center ... it was not the Pew Charitable Trust or their Research Center. The Voter Photo ID is a fraud, a lie and an affront to the Constitution. If you want to address fraud, start with the guys marketing the Voter Photo ID.

After all the comments, it should be clear that Voter Photo ID will not address voter fraud, but it could infringe on the right to vote for certain populations. It should also be clear that those promoting a constitutional amendment requiring voter photo ID are doing so because it is a partisan issue, not one of good government. It also should be evident that those promoting voter photo ID are using fraudalent methods such as "staged" voter registration of persons alledged to be Tim Tiebow and data by Pew Research Center, a conservative center not connected to Pew Trust Center for Research. They are also trying to exploit the desire of all Americans against illegal activities, such as voter fraud, by fanning the fears that there is a serious voter fraud issue in Minnesota. Where is the responsibility here? This is why all Americans, not just the Catholics, should be against using the Constitution to enact legislation that enfringes on the RIGHT TO VOTE. Yes, I know that Catholic Church is knee deep in the issue of mis-use of the Constitution to make same sex marriages unconstitutional and in arguments on why any employer who happens to be Catholic should not be forced to offer birth control coverage. In the contexts of Catholic social teachings and understanding of individual conscience, both are over-reaches. Minnesotans should stand up against the mis-use of our state constitution for partisan purposes. I am joined in this cause by the League of Women Voters and others.

"my, my Renee, Joyce, etc. you people are sooo sensitive. you can twist, misconstrue anything and then feel sooo offended when somebody tells you that you are "off base"."

Attacking the messengers doesn't change the truth. You can dance around your flaming comments all you want but it doesn't change what they are and your intent to manipulate the dialogue.

"perhaps the problem starts with our educational system."

I'm not biting on your flame bait this time. Sorry, I'm not quite as stupid as you think. Note to you: The topic is Photo ID, not the educational system.

"apparently, it is a big thing in your lives: it's not a big thing in mine."

Male? White? Wealthy? Well, yeah, you are part of the entitled class. It wouldn't be a big thing in your life because your rights are never threatened. Welcome to the Republican party of white entitlement.

Protecting basic rights for all should be a big thing in your life . . . many have died to secure your rights and freedoms, including the right to vote. I honor those people, and in my case women suffragists who died, every time I vote. I won't forget them, ever, and I'll continue to honor their desire for free and open elections and the right of everyone to cast a ballot without capricious and arbitrary and costly restrictions.

I am not sure what "rant" you are referring, but I think by now we all should conclude that "Voter Photo ID" is a bad thing in that it will really not significantly impact voter fraud, but that more people who have the legal right to vote, will not vote because they don't have a photo ID or simply forgot it. We also can conclude that many of those that are promoting "Voter Photo ID" are doing so fraudulently with the use of staged video and phony research and are trying to prey on the good will of the public on an issue that they knew is simply partisan, intended to suppress voters from the other side. They like to use inflammatory language, but the truth is that Voter Photo ID is not justified and it is simply wrong to use the Constitution to take the rights away from citizens. This is why not only the Catholic Church, but all faith groups (Joint Religious Legislative Coaltion, Jewish Community Action etc) are opposed to Voter Photo ID, as our all good non-partisan good government groups, like the League of Women Voters. I trust Minnesotans will not be taken in by this partisan fraud and this will expose the proponents for what they are ... no different then those that pushed poll tax a century ago.

Mr Walz - are your series of articles meant to promote Catholic social teachings or promote your political beliefs through some indirection back to the fact that Christ embraced the poor and disenfranchised? The association that "Christ loved the poor" and therefore "we cannot ask poor people for a Voter ID in 2012" is a stretch; as is the argument that the government should supply health care to all individuals. What happened to "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's"? Being Christ-like can only happen at a personal level, not through enactment of enforceable laws by a government. That, frankly, diminishes the onus on each of us to act in a Christ-like fashion, doesn't it? If the government is acting like Christ on my behalf, then I don't have to try that hard do I? Where then is the commitment to the faith?

Why not tackle a tough issue like divorce in the Catholic church? Where those disenfranchised individuals who have gone through a divorce have to go through a lengthy annulment process that questions the legitimacy of their children? Is that not peace/love enough?

And the treatment of homosexuals in the church, where the valid "behavior" is abstinence and suppression of that sexual identity?

Point is this: as the "justice outreach" liaison, tell us how you reconcile your beliefs on a progressive agenda relative to the teachings and rules of the church? That would be an interesting topic!

Ttc and Joyce: so what you're both saying is you both have strongly-held beliefs and you probably aren't going to agree on this?

We live in a wonderful world. Keep fighting, the both of you! Then shake hands and don't forget to smile when you reflect on how blessed (by whomever) we all are.

Why must the intolerant junkyard dogs of this world become condescending and rude when confronted with opposing views? I enjoy reading these posts and appreciate both sides of the debates, but the interjection of juvenile personal insults sours the debate, and makes it a less desirable read.

Not ignoring the legitimate fact of voter fraud, if the government forces an individual without a driver’s license (perhaps an 18 year-old who has not passed his driver’s test yet or an 80-year-old who cannot drive) to buy a State ID card to vote, isn't that essentially a poll tax and therefore outlawed by the 24th Amendment?

Hopefully, most people now realize that the VOTER PHOTO ID CAMPAIGN IS A FRAUD and that we willl PROTECT THE RIGHT TO VOTE for all citizens by rejecting this amendment.

I have a question for those who wish to require voters to have a valid ID. What should my 72 year-old quadriplegic father do? He is a pretty much house-bound, only leaving once or twice a year, to go to the doctor. He has a very tight budget, and must watch his spending very closely. It would cost him about $80 to rent a transportation van, and about another $50-$75 for a home health care worker to make the trip with him, to get a state ID....which he would never need for any other purpose than voting. Although his body is failing him, his mind is sharp, and he wants to participate in the process. Should he be excluded because he can not afford to get out, or because the entire transportation process is a painful and stressful experience?

joyce, re your 0951 post today. for the record, i do not intend to participate in any further "debates" with you. but today you went way over the top. i never called you a moral monster. what i have said is that you are, mostly by default, a utilitarian consequentialist-situationalist. and, a secularist absolutist. yet, at a deeper level, you apparently view morality/ethics more as a function of the will than of the intellect. the "we just kind of make it up as we go along" theory. that, i submit, is post-modernist subjectivism lite (or maybe not so light). but, yes,i did say that i would not want you providing medical care to me or to any member of my family. my take on the matter is that health care people with views such as yours cannot be trusted when it comes to difficult, in extremis medical situations. anyone who blows off 50+ million abortions and uncritically praises planned parenthood is not someone that i want near my sick bed. sorry, but that's the way it is. i want someone who iscommitted to hippocratic medicine, not some secularist post-modernist utilitarian.by the way, somone once referred to you as an intellectually dishonest idiot: hopefully you don't try to claim that i said that. i didn't. finally, one has to be quite naive to think of the league of women voters as anything but a left of center organization. maybe they don't endorse candidates but they do endorse leftist causes. just look at the record.

pending approval? by whom? and for what reason? I was accused of saying something that I did not say. wish to reply. and my comments re medical care are not limited to Joyce (I just happen to know her views). in this days of utilitarian medcine one has to be wary: to be concerned about the philosophy of those who are providing care, particularly in difficult medical situations (pregnancy, end of life care, etc). thus, I am very careful when it comes to choosing physicians, hospitals and the like. if my comments in this regard are unacceptable to Patch, then I feel sorry for Patch. somebody has their head in the sand.

Yeah, sorry everyone. They're working the issue out.

Here's a quick post I put together about it zzzzzzzzzz. http://stillwater.patch.com/articles/editor-s-note-regarding-unpublished-comments-announcements-and-events

Might want to check this out from the Sec. of State webpage ..What ID wil allow you to vote. Student ID's DO work.

REGISTERING TO VOTE ON ELECTION DAY - November 6, 2012
If you are not registered to vote or need to update your registration information, you may do so at your local polling location on Election Day as long as you can provide proof of residence.

To register at your polling place on Election Day, you must bring one of the following with your current name and address to verify your residence in the precinct :

A valid Minnesota driver’s license, learner’s permit, Minnesota ID card, or receipt for any of these
A valid student ID card including your photo, if your college has provided a student housing list to election officials
A Tribal ID card that contains your picture and signature
A valid registration in the same precinct under a different name or address
A notice of late registration sent to you by your county auditor or city clerk
A voter registered in the same precinct as you who can confirm your address with a signed oath

Both 1) a photo ID from the list below, and 2) a current bill from the list below with your current name and address in the precinct
Photo IDs (may be expired) Bills (delivered electronically or by mail)
Minnesota Driver's License
Minnesota ID Card
United States Passport
United States Military ID Card
Tribal ID Card
Minnesota University, College, or Technical College ID Card

Is it only student ID cards from state colleges, universities and technical colleges? What about private colleges like Augsburg, Macalester, etc.? I would assume private colleges cannot provide government issued IDs.

This article is misleading. The Catholic Church has and will not take stance on this voter id amendment in MN. Go to Minnesota Catholic Conference for a beautiful understanding why the Catholic Church doesn't get involved in the thousands of amendments that pop-up in our country. TRUE AUTHORITY to protect our freedom understands its boundaries, yet also knows when to defend freedom. The above examples are poor, at best, in trying to defend an anti-voter id stance.