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Special Elections During Christmas Holidays Designed to Suppress Voter Turnout, Says Candidate For Minn. Secretary of State

Posted on: Thursday, 1 December 2005, 12:00 CST

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 1 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Mark Ritchie, a candidate for Secretary of State, released this statement today:

"Governor Pawlenty's decision to make the upcoming special elections in St. Cloud especially difficult for voters is consistent with a very disturbing trend -- discouraging civic participation. Our state leaders seem to be saying one thing to Minnesotans -- don't bother voting.

"Fortunately, some observers have called the Governor on this decision. The St. Cloud Times was fairly blunt in their assessment writing: 'If we didn't know better, we would think that Pawlenty is trying to minimize, not maximize, voter turnout.'

"Clearly, asking voters to go to the polls in the middle of the Christmas Holiday is intended to reduce voter turnout. But what about the needs of the many highly dedicated volunteer election clerks and judges who may be forced to cancel their vacation plans to meet the Governor's politicized schedule? How many of the people who will be gone over the holidays, not to mention the students, teachers, and others from our educational institutions, will be able to vote?

"The Minneapolis Star Tribune summed this up well in an editorial. 'The Governor is well within his constitutional bounds, but he's straying from democracy's best interest. Holding elections on dates when only those with strong partisan or special-interest connections are likely to notice leads to government of, by and for the clued-in few, not the many.'

"We need the Governor to be making decisions designed to increase the participation by all citizens in public life, including voting.

"Yes, this means scheduling elections on dates that will maximize voter turnout, not discourage it. It also means working to get people out to vote. A good role model in this regard is the Secretary of State of California, Republican Bruce McPherson, who travels all over his state urging young people to vote -- going so far as to send out birthday cards to everyone turning 18 strongly urging them to get registered.

"Minnesota needs and deserves better from our elected leaders and it is time for them, starting with Governor Pawlenty, to make civic participation a top priority of our public life. That begins with removing obstacles to voting, not creating them."

http://www.usnewswire.com

Source: U.S. Newswire

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