November 1, 2012 - Two World War II veterans and an Army major who worked for the Secretary of State urged Minnesotans to vote against a proposed photo ID amendment on Thursday.
At a news conference sponsored by the anti-photo ID group Our Vote Our Future, World War II vets El Elwert of Forest Lake and Joseph Rukavina of White Bear Lake said the ID requirement was an affront to soldiers who fought and died for U.S. values and democracy.
"It's not a privilege, it's a must," said Ewert, an Army veteran who was drafted into combat at age 18, before he was able to vote. "I made sure from that day on I would vote in every election...." he said.
"Why complicate something that we were fighting for?" he asked.
Rukavina, uncle of retiring state Rep. Tom Rukavina of Virginia, was on Iwo Jima before he attained the voting age, which then was 21. "All these young kids were dying ... all these young people that did not have the right to a ballot." He called the photo ID requirement complicated and costly and added, "It is to stop people from voting."
The 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution lowered the voting age to 18 in 1971.
Nancy Davis-Ortiz, retired from the U.S. Army, said she is concerned about how the amendment will affect homeless veterans. Army Major Todd Pierce, who worked for the Minnesota Secretary of State on military voting issues, said he is concerned voting by overseas military will be far more complicated if the amendment passes.
He reiterated the position of Our Vote Our Future's television ad that the military ID would not be acceptable under the new system. He noted that active military IDs do not say where the service member lives. read more>>>
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