Just prior to last year’s election, Minnesota Majority released the results of an investigation which suggested a number of significant flaws in Minnesota’s election system. We cautioned the Secretary of State and other officials that apparent irregularities in Minnesota’s voter rolls, inconsistent data management practices and lax controls in voter registration could lead to doubts over the integrity of election results.

 

We couldn’t have predicted the near tie between Senator Coleman and challenger Al Franken but the potential for the aftermath that followed was clear. Two months after the election, Minnesota voters still don’t know who will represent their interests in the US Senate. Election-night returns indicated that Norm Coleman had won the election. But the recently completed hand-recount appears to have reversed this outcome and awarded the win to Al Franken. Norm Coleman is now challenging the results in District Court.

 

Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and other officials are reacting to the recount by asserting a need for relaxed election protocols. Specifically, they have recommended universal registration (registering to vote not required) and early voting (an expansion of absentee voting that allows people to vote early without offering a reason). But the nature of disputes in the recount suggests that absentee ballots and lax registration procedures were the source of most election irregularities. Rather than taking steps to tighten controls, these officials advocate taking the lock off the ballot box.

 

Minnesota’s election system already functions in such a way that it would, by its very nature, conceal most errors or abuse that may occur. Transparency depends on good recordkeeping and reliable data. Our current election system is flawed on both counts. The solution to the problem isn’t to reduce the security of the process. Relaxing voter registration requirements and expanding absentee voting may help to better conceal flaws in our election system, but these steps will not improve the system’s integrity, fairness or transparency. Instead, they would only further muddy the waters and increase doubts about the legitimacy of our election process. Rather, stronger identity and eligibility verification procedures are necessary to bolster the integrity of our election system.

 

All Minnesotans deserve to know that their honest vote is not being undermined by errors and abuse in the system. Common sense reform measures such as verifiable pre-Election Day registration, presentation of a photo ID and confirmation of the voter’s eligibility to vote prior to providing a ballot will serve to protect the right of all voters to have their legitimate votes equally counted. These steps would greatly improve election transparency by assuring quality, reliable data and verifiable voter identities.

 

The muddy waters of the Coleman – Franken election should serve as an example of why Minnesota needs stronger election data handling and verification procedures. While the Franken and Coleman camps have bickered over the eligibility of a few thousand absentee ballots, hundreds of thousands of ballots cast by unverified and untraceable same-day registrants are being indisputably accepted.

 

After every election, county officials are supposed to verify same-day registrants. Those who cannot be confirmed as legitimate, eligible voters are supposedly purged from the voter rolls. But their votes have already been counted and cannot be retrieved, no matter what is found after the fact.

 

Those who register on Election Day are subject to no real scrutiny or verification before their ballot is cast. Meanwhile, voters who register in advance of an election are subjected to a verification process. This is a shameful double-standard that gives preferential treatment to unverified voters.

 

Election reforms are needed, but not the sorts that perpetuate a mere illusion of fair elections. All voters have the right to equal treatment under the law. This means the state has a responsibility to ensure that each vote is counted and that only legitimate votes are cast. This is not now the case.

 

The simple and obvious solution that most Minnesotans support is to require photo ID at the polls. Election judges could verify the identity of every voter on the spot by simply asking for their ID, a practice that is currently not employed or even allowed in Minnesota. It’s been suggested that such a requirement would disenfranchise people who don’t possess a photo ID. To the contrary, photo ID requirements that have been implemented in other states provide for free ID cards to those who can’t afford one, which could easily be implemented in Minnesota for a nominal cost to the taxpayer. This could even potentially aid an underprivileged voter in becoming more integrated and functional in the mainstream. It’s extremely difficult to function in modern society without identification.

Before the election, Minnesota Majority and others warned officials that there were significant flaws in the voter registration rolls, data handling practices and other procedures that could lead to a cloud of doubt being cast over the election results. Coleman – Franken only reaffirms the need for common sense election reforms that offer true transparency, accountability and fairness for all. 

Take Action: Sign the Election Integrity Petition and send an instant message to your elected officials today.

Additional Resources

Minnesota Senator Ann Rest and Representative Laura Brod discuss election reforms on MPR's Midday: