Danielle Stone/Winonan
Winona State University social work professors Ruth Charles, Charissa Eaton and Oswald Shanalingigwa organized a conference to discuss voters’ rights earlier this month.
The conference, titled “Voter ID/Gay Marriage Ban Amendments: A Discussion About Social Work Values & Advocacy,” was formatted to bring together groups of social workers throughout Minnesota.
The purpose of the conference was to “educate people on the amendments and what they are about,” Charles said. Two proposed amendments will be on the ballot this November, concerning whether photo identification will be required to vote, and how marriage will be defined.
At the conference, social workers were able to sit down and discuss what the amendments truly mean for residents of Minnesota.
Charles, Eaton and Shanalingigwa were able to share their views on the new legislation, and social workers around the state were given an opportunity to discuss how to inform others about the issues.
With the new amendment, residents must be able to present a valid photographic identification issued by the government, according to Charles and Eaton. In order for an identification to be valid, it must have the person’s current address printed on it, which presents a difficulty for college students who may move multiple times throughout their college years. With the amendment, college students would have to get a new identification every time they move to be able to vote.
Charles and Eaton also discussed how the amendment affects those who are unable to actually come to the polls.
“The new amendment does not show that it is possible to vote absentee,” Eaton said. This would make voting difficult for college students, people in nursing homes and soldiers serving overseas who are residents of Minnesota and are eligible to vote.
“We have a right to vote, not a privilege,” Charles said. “Now Minnesota is limiting.”
The conference also addressed the proposed marriage amendment, which, if passed, would define marriage as being between one man and one woman.
One of the key purposes to the conference was to unite communities across Minnesota by informing social workers about the potential constitutional changes that are on the ballot, Charles said. This way, social workers, whether in education or in the public sector, can best inform those they serve.
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