On Monday, May 12, Governor Pawlenty signed the fourth of four voting rights bills.
The first bill, HF1546, authorized the post office to send change of address information to city clerks to allow for automatic updates of voting lists. This bill became law on April 3, 2008.
The second bill, SF1218, specifically aims at protecting Minnesotans' voting rights abroad. It simplifies the process and takes away the repetitive re-filing for up to six years if one continues to reside outside of the state. This bill became law on April 17.
The third bill, SF1298 allows more forms of identification to be accepted at the voting booth. This bill also tries to bring college students into the electoral process by allowing school housing lists to serve as proof of residency. It also makes absentee voting facilities handicapped accessible. This bill became law on April 25.
HF3172 makes efforts to help those who are unable to leave their homes to vote. This bill allows for non-partisan election judges. It also requires closed captioning for political ads. This bill became law on May 12.
A clear champion of voting rights on all of these bills has been Representative Bill Hilty (DFL) of District 8A. He not only appeared as an author on three of the bills, but also vigorously supported the voting rights of Minnesotans during a marathon debate on the House floor.
The ACLU of Minnesota applauds enactment of laws expanding the most basic right of all, the right to vote. We encourage you to send your thanks to your legislators!