DFL CHAIR ON PAWLENTY’S PLAN FOR “CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION”

09/28/2006

(ST. PAUL) 9/26/06 – “Tim Pawlenty and the Republican Party are trotting out yet another election-year gimmick. Tim Pawlenty has been governor for four years but has failed to address this issue. Now, 40 days out, he’s resorted to the exact same fear-mongering and divisive politicking that got him elected in 2002. And his newest gimmick has the added value of being unconstitutional.

“He’s using a sample of 32 voters. That’s 0.00103 percent of the 3,090,921 registered voters in Minnesota. Pushing photo identification based on these cases is like using a cannon to swat a fly. You may succeed in killing the fly, but you’re going to do a lot of other damage in the process. While even one person voting illegally is a cause for concern, the solution should be to seek accountability in the secretary of state’s office – not to make voting a more difficult process for thousands of Minnesotans.

“It’s time for this governor, and his Secretary of State, to address serious issues with serious solutions. It’s time for a new direction in Minnesota.”