Judge Overturns Minnesota ID law Aimed at Native Americans

A federal judge on Friday overturned some Minnesota voter registration requirements as too strict, including one that barred American Indians from using their tribal identification card if they live outside a reservation. The ACLU of Minnesota and several American Indian groups had filed a petition Thursday claiming that Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer implemented overly restrictive requirements for citizens wishing to vote for the first time. The petitioners, which include the National Congress of American Indians, a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibe and a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, said state requirements for identification at polling places are more strict than federal requirements. Federal statutes allow people registering by mail to provide either a current photo identification or a copy of a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that shows the voter's name and address. State statutes require some people who have not voted in Minnesota for a federal office to present a current photo identification in addition to a recent utility bill. The ACLU said that made Minnesota's standard stricter than the federal standard. The group said the restrictions unfairly targeted American Indians, since state law accepts a tribal ID for Election Day registration only if the citizen lives on a reservation. [more]

• State sued over tribal IDs [more] and  [more]
• Secretary of State Kiffmeyer under fire for handling of elections [more]