Minnesota's secretary of state is our state's chief elections official. His duty to impartially administer elections requires him -- more than any other constitutional officer --to remain above the fray of partisan politics.
Yet on the proposed voter ID amendment, which he opposes, Mark Ritchie has replaced the Legislature's straightforward title with a fog of bureaucratic gobbledygook.
Instead of "Photo identification required for voting," voters will now read "Changes to in-person & absentee voting & voter registration; provisional ballots."
Say what? And notice that the requirement of a photo ID to vote -- the amendment's core idea -- has just gone poof!
Ritchie pulled a similar stunt on the marriage amendment, substituting a title that polling shows will likely push the vote toward his favored result.
The Star Tribune has exhorted Ritchie to "do everything possible to avoid politicizing" his office. Noting his record of vocal opposition to the voter ID amendment, it echoed critics' "legitimate questions" about whether he is campaigning against the measure under the guise of informing local officials.
Regarding the amendment's new title, the Pioneer Press wrote that "Ritchie ... had to go deep into the Orwellian playbook to come up with that one." "What explains this bizarre formulation that obviously seeks to obscure the initiative and confuse the voter?" it demanded.
Scratch beneath the surface and you'll find the answer.
