On August 17, U.S. District Court Judge Donovan W. Frank, a Clinton appointee, upheld Minnesota’s law that permits unregistered individuals to register to vote on election day. The case is Minnesota Voters Alliance v Ritchie, cv-12-519. The plaintiffs had argued that the U.S. Constitution is violated by the policy, because it is too easy for unqualified individuals to vote. Here is the 22-page opinion. Plaintiffs say they will appeal on an emergency basis.
The judge also upheld Minnesota’s policy of letting certain individuals vote even though they have a conservator or guardian. The plaintiffs had argued that the Minnesota Constitution does not permit such individuals to vote. See this news story. Thanks to the Brad Blog for the link to the opinion.
While I don’t agree with all of the court’s rationale, the decision is clearly correct. Indeed, the complaint borders on frivilous, which could result in a reversal of attorney’s fees against these plaintiffs.