A Minnesota House committee approved a bill Wednesday that would require proof of citizenship for voter registration in Minnesota.
Under the proposed bill, all voters -- new voters and longtime voters -- who are registering to vote would be required to provide a birth certificate, a passport or naturalization papers.
The House and Senate should both reject this bill as it would create an adversarial atmosphere for all potential voters attempting to register.
The bill supporters claim the requirement to prove citizenship would provide confidence in the voting system and is simply common sense.
The fact is the requirement to prove citizenship would most likely disenfranchise many longtime Minnesotans as well as newly arrived Minnesotans.
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The League of Women Voters in Minnesota believes the bill would have a devastating effect on voter registration drives. If you are at any voter registration effort, you would be required to provide your birth certificate, passport or naturalization papers in addition to the photo identification already required.
Such a requirement would have a negative impact on certain voting groups: college students, low-income people, seniors and racial minorities. One questions whether this proposal is part of a political agenda to minimize the votes of these sectors.
Former President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, and former Secretary of State James Baker, a Republican, who are leaders of the Commission on Federal Election Reform, oppose proof of citizenship as a requirement of voter registration.
We agree.
This bill should not be approved by the House or the Senate.
