Cross-posted at MN Progressive Project
During Friday's debate of secretary of state candidates on Almanac, Dan Severson repeated his his idea of an express lane for voters showing photo ID. Such voters would get to go through a fast line, pretty much like now, while those without photo ID would have to have a long wait. What they would wait for is never hinted at. What is sure is that since we generally enjoy short waits now in Minnesota, he's going to have to create some obstacles to extend the wait. Severson is entirely comfortable with inflicting discomfort on others. DFL candidate Rep. Steve Simon pointed out that Severson said he was fine with making people without photo IDs wait out in the cold for two hours. Simon said this at 43:45. Severson immediately denied it, and denied it again at 45:30. I won't say Severson is lying because he could have forgotten he said it. And somehow no one in his campaign checked out Youtube, where they could have seen the video below from last April, just as Simon said. But lying or forgetful, Severson said it. h/t Bluestem Prairie. Severson says it starting st 53:40:
In the bit right before, Severson is denying that minorities are disenfranchised by requiring photo IDs, claiming that having photo IDs enfranchises them. He'll enfranchise people by requiring them to produce something they can't get, without which they won't be allowed to vote. At least not without standing out in the cold for two hours. He seems not to get that yo can't enfranchise people who already can vote, nor does he mind disenfranchising them. Maybe he's just clueless about what "enfranchise" means?
When they've done studies on photo ID [no, he gave no indication of who "they" is], it actually empowers the minority communities to say you know what, I am a US citizen. I have the right to vote. This is my ticket to vote. And so in that process, I think we begin to enfranchise, to encourage those people, who meet the criteria, say you know what, you are a US citizen, we're going to make it easy for you. Now if don't want to do that, be my guest. You can go over to the side and wait in line, two hours, out in the cold. That's fine.
Even our most bogged down polling places in 2012 didn't have two hour waits. He's going to have to deliberately create the conditions that cause tow hour waits. I'd find that laughable, it it wasn't that Republican election officials in some states have done just that in Democratic precincts.
BTW, if you watch the whole debate, it becomes apparent why Simon put the debate video on his web site.