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Elections Bill
HF 4772, the Elections Policy Omnibus Bill, has been labeled by some as " the re-elect Democrats bill" due to its controversial alterations to election procedures. In a time when trust in our electoral system is waning, ensuring the integrity of our elections should be a paramount concern. However, this bill seems to move in the opposite direction by allowing individuals to register to vote without the need for a verifiable address, (the USPS calls it an invalid address), instead allowing them to provide a general description of where they live. Additionally, during the crucial redistricting process that follows each census, the bill proposes counting prisoners as residents of their previous address, even if they have been incarcerated for an extended period or the house no longer exists. This approach not only distorts the accuracy of district boundaries but also appears to unfairly distribute state funds, potentially diverting resources from rural areas to urban centers.
The bill also contains a provision that drastically changes the way we elect a president. Specifically, it adds Minnesota to a list of states attempting to bypass the Electoral College and replace it with the national popular vote (NPV). If enacted, Minnesota, and other small states, would lose influence on presidential elections, and presidential elections would be completely controlled by large cities and metro areas. Our Minnesota electors must only be determined by Minnesota voters. The United States was founded by the states, which wanted to protect state rights and prevent a few large cities from dominating the vast rural areas. The larger cities often forget that options for different choices are required for different parts of our nation, they think their policies work for everyone. That is why NPV is problematic.
Finally, this bill does not comply with federal election law. Since the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in 2002, provisional ballots have been required in all states, with Minnesota being one of three states given an exemption. With provisional balloting, a person showing up to vote without appropriate documentation would receive a provisional ballot that is kept separate from regular ballots. Once the election is over, the person’s details would be verified and counted as normal, unless something comes up showing that they are not eligible. Minnesota exceeds 10,000 bad registrations per election. Further, 20% of verifications, required by HAVA, come back as bad. Using provisional balloting correctly would help to eliminate ineligible ballots from being counted, help secure our elections, and restore public confidence in our elections.
I did offer several amendments, in committee and on the House floor to address these concerns, but they were promptly shut down by the majority.
End of Session Drawing Near
We are approaching the last deadline and are getting closer to the May 20th end of session. We continue to work hard to pass needed laws for the people of Minnesota as well as correct and improve the poor legislation from the one-party-rule majority. We are beginning to hear omnibus bills in committee, and on the House floor, so keep an eye out for those. I’m hopeful, though I recognize it’s not likely, that we can have common sense and bipartisan policy bills. I also hope that Democrats will work with us to make fixes to their multitude of bills from last year that have extensive mistakes from the reckless speed at which the majority was pushing its far-left policies.
Rep. Duane Quam
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