State Senate approves bills granting felons voting rights and immigrants driver's licenses
Sen. Zaynab Mohamed speaks to reporters before the Senate debates a bill that allows people to apply for Minnesota driver's licenses regardless of their immigration status on Tuesday.
Dana Ferguson | MPR News
The Minnesota Senate debated into the wee hours of Wednesday morning and passed a pair of bills — one that would grant felons voting rights and another lets people get driver’s licenses regardless of their immigration status.
MPR reporter Dana Ferguson was up late at the Capitol for the votes and joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about what the proposals would do.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
CATHY WURZER: And when all was said and done, they passed a pair of bills. One that would grant felons voting rights. Another lets people get driver's licenses regardless of their immigration status. Our reporter Dana Ferguson was up late at the Capitol for the votes. She joins us right now to talk about all of them. Hey, Dana. Thanks for joining us.
DANA FERGUSON: Hey. Thank you for having me on, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: So for folks not familiar, let's run down these bills. What would they do?
DANA FERGUSON: Sure. Well, the first would restore the right to vote to people convicted of a felony after they complete their time behind bars. Right now, those individuals have to wait to vote until their entire sentence is complete. So that can take years as they serve probation or parole.
It marks the biggest change to the state's voter eligibility laws in half a century. And supporters estimate that about 50,000 people in Minnesota could be impacted by the change. And the second bill would allow people in the country without proper authorization to apply for driver's licenses and state IDs. That was allowed up until 2003, but was changed under the Pawlenty administration.
CATHY WURZER: Mhm. So these were long and pretty intense debates on each of the bills. Describe the scene at the Capitol.
DANA FERGUSON: Yeah. Throughout the day, people were in the rotunda and near the chambers, raising signs, cheering, and urging lawmakers to act. Even as the snow really started coming down later in the evening, hundreds watched the debate from outside the Senate chamber.
And the groups were a vocal presence during the debates, particularly as the Senate considered the driver's license bill. Folks could be heard cheering and yelling out when they agreed with the senator or when they disapproved of their comments. Here's a little bit of what it sounded like as legislators entered the chamber.
[CHATTER]
SUBJECT 1: (CHANTING) [SPEAKING SPANISH]
SUBJECT 2: (CHANTING) [SPEAKING SPANISH]
SUBJECT 1: (CHANTING) [SPEAKING SPANISH]
SUBJECT 2: (CHANTING) [SPEAKING SPANISH]
SUBJECT 1: (CHANTING) [SPEAKING SPANISH]
SUBJECT 2: (CHANTING) [SPEAKING SPANISH]
SUBJECT 1: (CHANTING) [SPEAKING SPANISH]
CATHY WURZER: --rotunda. So inside the chamber, Dana, what did you hear from lawmakers about the voting bill?
SUBJECT 2: DFL lawmakers and one Republican, Senator Jim Abeler of Anoka, supported the bill and said it's important to restore voting rights once people are released back into the community. They said that granting these individuals the right to vote once they're out of prison would help them to feel involved in their communities and make them less likely to re-offend. GOP lawmakers, meanwhile, raised concerns about letting those who've been convicted of violent offenses get their voting rights restored early.
And they proposed additional requirements before some convicted felons could get the right to vote back. Ultimately, the Senate voted 35 to 30 to pass the bill. And it heads now to the governor for a signature.
CATHY WURZER: And will Governor Walz sign it?
DANA FERGUSON: He will. He said that he supports it. The Senate was essentially the last hurdle that the bill needed to clear.
CATHY WURZER: OK. Let's talk about the driver's license bill. What did senators have to say about that bill?
DANA FERGUSON: Yeah. DFL lawmakers said the change was overdue, and that the state should restore the option for those in the country without legal authorization to get IDs and driver's licenses. More than anything, they said it would improve safety on Minnesota roadways and restore dignity for immigrant communities. They cited support from police agencies, faith leaders, business and agriculture groups, labor unions, and others that had pressed for the change.
And they frequently pointed to the hundreds of people out in the rotunda that were hoping the bill would pass this year. The thought is that if people have driver's licenses, they'll buy insurance and they will pass written and behind-the-wheel tests, so they'll be better drivers. Opponents, meanwhile, said they worried that granting these licenses could encourage additional immigrants to come to the country without authorization. And they sought to add some kind of markings on the ID cards that made it clear that the holders were not US citizens.
CATHY WURZER: And that Amendment was defeated. Right?
DANA FERGUSON: Yes, it was. Republicans raised those concerns. But ultimately, they weren't accepted.
CATHY WURZER: The debate got a little contentious, and there was some concerns about terrorism. Is that right?
DANA FERGUSON: That is right. Republicans raised concerns about how the new licenses would interact with the federal Real ID program implementation. And they had concerns about unauthorized people coming to Minnesota, obtaining a license, and then using it to board a plane or go to another state and engage in wrongdoing.
Some of it reflected back to the original arguments for changing the policy back in 2003, in the wake of the September 11 attacks. But Democrats pushed back on those comments, saying that they were offensive and that there is a risk of US citizens committing violent acts, too. And statistically, that domestic terrorism is a greater threat.
CATHY WURZER: And this bill is also heading to the governor's desk.
DANA FERGUSON: That it is. Yep. And Governor Walz says he plans to sign it, too.
CATHY WURZER: So that was a lot to go on last night as the storm was just starting to take aim at the region. So legislative leaders, have they canceled action the rest of the week?
DANA FERGUSON: They have, yeah. They said yesterday that they were worried about the impending storm and have postponed all committee and floor work until next week. So they will resume on Monday. And that's when we'll get an update on Minnesota's budget forecast, too.
CATHY WURZER: All right. Dana Ferguson, thanks for staying up late. We appreciate your time here this afternoon, too.
DANA FERGUSON: You're welcome, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: That's MPR News politics reporter Dana Ferguson.
DANA FERGUSON: Hey. Thank you for having me on, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: So for folks not familiar, let's run down these bills. What would they do?
DANA FERGUSON: Sure. Well, the first would restore the right to vote to people convicted of a felony after they complete their time behind bars. Right now, those individuals have to wait to vote until their entire sentence is complete. So that can take years as they serve probation or parole.
It marks the biggest change to the state's voter eligibility laws in half a century. And supporters estimate that about 50,000 people in Minnesota could be impacted by the change. And the second bill would allow people in the country without proper authorization to apply for driver's licenses and state IDs. That was allowed up until 2003, but was changed under the Pawlenty administration.
CATHY WURZER: Mhm. So these were long and pretty intense debates on each of the bills. Describe the scene at the Capitol.
DANA FERGUSON: Yeah. Throughout the day, people were in the rotunda and near the chambers, raising signs, cheering, and urging lawmakers to act. Even as the snow really started coming down later in the evening, hundreds watched the debate from outside the Senate chamber.
And the groups were a vocal presence during the debates, particularly as the Senate considered the driver's license bill. Folks could be heard cheering and yelling out when they agreed with the senator or when they disapproved of their comments. Here's a little bit of what it sounded like as legislators entered the chamber.
[CHATTER]
SUBJECT 1: (CHANTING) [SPEAKING SPANISH]
SUBJECT 2: (CHANTING) [SPEAKING SPANISH]
SUBJECT 1: (CHANTING) [SPEAKING SPANISH]
SUBJECT 2: (CHANTING) [SPEAKING SPANISH]
SUBJECT 1: (CHANTING) [SPEAKING SPANISH]
SUBJECT 2: (CHANTING) [SPEAKING SPANISH]
SUBJECT 1: (CHANTING) [SPEAKING SPANISH]
CATHY WURZER: --rotunda. So inside the chamber, Dana, what did you hear from lawmakers about the voting bill?
SUBJECT 2: DFL lawmakers and one Republican, Senator Jim Abeler of Anoka, supported the bill and said it's important to restore voting rights once people are released back into the community. They said that granting these individuals the right to vote once they're out of prison would help them to feel involved in their communities and make them less likely to re-offend. GOP lawmakers, meanwhile, raised concerns about letting those who've been convicted of violent offenses get their voting rights restored early.
And they proposed additional requirements before some convicted felons could get the right to vote back. Ultimately, the Senate voted 35 to 30 to pass the bill. And it heads now to the governor for a signature.
CATHY WURZER: And will Governor Walz sign it?
DANA FERGUSON: He will. He said that he supports it. The Senate was essentially the last hurdle that the bill needed to clear.
CATHY WURZER: OK. Let's talk about the driver's license bill. What did senators have to say about that bill?
DANA FERGUSON: Yeah. DFL lawmakers said the change was overdue, and that the state should restore the option for those in the country without legal authorization to get IDs and driver's licenses. More than anything, they said it would improve safety on Minnesota roadways and restore dignity for immigrant communities. They cited support from police agencies, faith leaders, business and agriculture groups, labor unions, and others that had pressed for the change.
And they frequently pointed to the hundreds of people out in the rotunda that were hoping the bill would pass this year. The thought is that if people have driver's licenses, they'll buy insurance and they will pass written and behind-the-wheel tests, so they'll be better drivers. Opponents, meanwhile, said they worried that granting these licenses could encourage additional immigrants to come to the country without authorization. And they sought to add some kind of markings on the ID cards that made it clear that the holders were not US citizens.
CATHY WURZER: And that Amendment was defeated. Right?
DANA FERGUSON: Yes, it was. Republicans raised those concerns. But ultimately, they weren't accepted.
CATHY WURZER: The debate got a little contentious, and there was some concerns about terrorism. Is that right?
DANA FERGUSON: That is right. Republicans raised concerns about how the new licenses would interact with the federal Real ID program implementation. And they had concerns about unauthorized people coming to Minnesota, obtaining a license, and then using it to board a plane or go to another state and engage in wrongdoing.
Some of it reflected back to the original arguments for changing the policy back in 2003, in the wake of the September 11 attacks. But Democrats pushed back on those comments, saying that they were offensive and that there is a risk of US citizens committing violent acts, too. And statistically, that domestic terrorism is a greater threat.
CATHY WURZER: And this bill is also heading to the governor's desk.
DANA FERGUSON: That it is. Yep. And Governor Walz says he plans to sign it, too.
CATHY WURZER: So that was a lot to go on last night as the storm was just starting to take aim at the region. So legislative leaders, have they canceled action the rest of the week?
DANA FERGUSON: They have, yeah. They said yesterday that they were worried about the impending storm and have postponed all committee and floor work until next week. So they will resume on Monday. And that's when we'll get an update on Minnesota's budget forecast, too.
CATHY WURZER: All right. Dana Ferguson, thanks for staying up late. We appreciate your time here this afternoon, too.
DANA FERGUSON: You're welcome, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: That's MPR News politics reporter Dana Ferguson.
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