Letter of the Day (June 18): Voter ID

Updated: June 17, 2012 - 8:48 PM

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What's the real reason that legislatures in 41 states, including Minnesota, have introduced bills to require voters to show a photo ID? The Sierra Club suggests it has nothing to do with preventing voter fraud but rather is an attempt to disenfranchise three groups that consistently support environmental issues: young voters, 18 percent of whom do not have photo IDs, Latinos, 11 percent, and African-Americans, 25 percent. And who's driving this push for legislation?

According to the Sierra Club, it's the corporate-financed American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which presents to its members in state legislatures "model" bills it wants enacted. ALEC is a nonprofit organization, but Common Cause and others have insisted it is actually a lobbying group and should lose its nonprofit status. There has been little, if any, evidence of voter fraud anywhere in our country -- nothing like the fraud that would exist if these laws are passed and eligible citizens are prevented from voting.

RICK SCHOLL, HOPKINS

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The Opinion section is produced by the Editorial Department to foster discussion about key issues. The Editorial Board represents the institutional voice of the Star Tribune and operates independently of the newsroom.
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