Re: [Mpls] A Question About Vouching

[Lisa McDonald]

You need to be registered in the precinct or have a current id for living in that precinct and indicate that you know the person you're vouching for lives in the precinct. Living in the Wedge for years I would often ask new neighbors if I could take them to the polling place and vouch for them. Because we had a lot of rentors and students, they often didn't get their id changed. Lisa

From: Chuck Holtman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "'[EMAIL PROTECTED]'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Mpls] A Question About Vouching
Date: Tue, 5 Nov 2002 11:21:35 -0600

This morning at my polling place (in the University area), an out-of-state
student living at the new Melrose high rise apartments was turned away from
registering/voting because although he had a stack of papers, including
documentation of his residency at the Melrose, he did not have a current
utility bill.  He was quite upset.  (My review of the criteria suggest that
a current student ID or UMn fee statement would suffice, but I don't know
why he didn't have one of these.)  This would seem to be a problem for any
student who lives in an apartment where utilities are paid by the landlord
and incorporated into the rent.  The kindly election officials, in the
presence of a taciturn observer from the party that generally favors
disenfranchisement, regretfully turned him away.

Vouching is an option for such people.  My question: What is the standard
that must be met to vouch for someone.  Do I have to know the person, or is
it sufficient that from all evidence available to me I have a well-founded
basis to believe the person resides in the precinct?  For example, a notary
need not know a person to vouch for his or her signature, simply have a
reasonable basis to determine that the person is who he/she purports to be.
If there is a similar standard for vouching, we can help avoid
disenfranchisement by reviewing reasonable documentation that does not meet
the technical requirement of the registration standard and vouching for
someone on that basis.

Chuck Holtman
Prospect Park
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