Pawlenty vetoes motor-voter bill

Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Friday vetoed a bill that would have automatically signed up Minnesota driver's license applicants to vote.

The move means those applying for or renewing driver's licenses and state-issued IDs will still have to check a box to register to vote, instead of being automatically enrolled as voters if they were eligible.

"Registering to vote should be a voluntary, intentional act," the Republican governor's veto message said.

The change was pushed by Democrats including Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, who said it would have streamlined bureaucracy for voters and saved time and money for local governments that process voter registrations.

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Ritchie claimed it would cut the number of Election Day registrations by as much as 75 percent.

A spokesman for Ritchie said neither Ritchie nor his staff were available to comment.

Rep. Steve Simon, the bill's House sponsor, said it also would have improved the integrity of Minnesota's voter records by giving Ritchie's office access to Social Security death records and requiring more extensive reporting from the state Department of Corrections on felons who aren't allowed to vote.

He said the changes would have minimized improprieties by ideologically motivated organizations that register voters.

"I wish some of this other stuff hadn't been vetoed," said Simon, DFL-St. Louis Park.

Pawlenty is also expected to act Friday on another election bill that would move the primary election up a month to August and require elections officials to contact absentee voters whose ballots are rejected, giving them a chance to correct the problem.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)