Voter ID Laws Pushed with Racist Imagery in Minnesota

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading...

TakeAction Minnesota, a liberal organization, ran a press conference Monday that condemned the promotion of a voter ID law in the state that they claim uses racist imagery. The Minnesota legislature, which is controlled by the Republicans, is asking for a constitutional amendment requiring voters to provide a government photo ID when trying to vote at the polls.

The group known as Minnesota Majority posted a banner on a website, WeWantVoterID.com, has an African American man in a black and white striped jail jumpsuit. There is another person wearing a blue mariachi outfit standing next to fictional characters. All of the people on the banner are waiting in line to vote and the banner says “Voter Fraud: Watch How Easy It Is To Cheat In Minnesota’s Elections.”

  

What

Where

Search Jobs

“These images are racial profiling of voters at its ugliest, designed to drive fear and racial division throughout Minnesota in order to help pass a photo ID amendment at the legislature and on the fall ballot,” Dan McGrath, Executive Director of TakeAction Minnesota, said. “They’re wrong and they should be removed from public view immediately.”

The banner was also condemned by Rena Moran, the Democratic Minnesota State Representative. Since 2008, over 30 states have changed their voting laws in an effort to reduce voting fraud, requiring voters to show photo identification in order to vote at polling places. Those states have also eliminated registration on the same-day as the vote, restricted early voting, required proof of citizenship and have banned former felons from access to ballots.

Democrats across the country claim that these types of laws are not necessary because there is a lack of evidence of voter fraud schemes in the country. Democrats claim that these laws target low-income, minority, disabled and elderly voters who might be less inclined to have a photo identification issued by their local government. For the most part, these groups usually support Democrats instead of Republicans.

Minnesota Majority has been asked by TakeAction Minnesota to remove the banner from its website and issue an apology for the banner. Minnesota Majority responded to this request by saying that TakeAction Minnesota is performing something known as ‘race-baiting.’

“The people of Minnesota are wise to these old smear tactics,” Minnesota Majority president Jeff Davis said in a statement. “It’s a testament to the fact that their arguments against Voter ID lack any merit when they resort to mud slinging with the old race card. Ad hominem attacks are a sure sign of losing an argument.”