House bill would update voter rolls automatically

The Minnesota House has approved a bill that would automatically update voter registration using postal information.

The bill passed by a vote of 115 to 16. Rep. Steve Simon, DFL-St. Louis Park, said Minnesotans who move would not have to re-register to vote because a change of address card sent to the post office would do it for them.

Simon said it would save the state and counties money because it would cut down on administrative costs.

"Eighty percent of the people who register on the day of the election aren't new voters. They are people who already lived elsewhere in Minnesota who have just moved," Simon said. "So all this bill does is make it easier for them to vote by saying, 'Hey, your address follows you on the voter rolls.' "

The Senate has yet to act on the bill. An attempt to amend the bill to require that voters show photo IDs at polling places was ruled out of order.