UPDATED: Ritchie sued over Minn. ballot title change, then alters another title

ST. PAUL - Republicans took Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie to court this morning for changing the title of a proposed constitutional amendment, then he changed the title of the second amendment going in front of voters on Nov. 6.

Just after noon, the secretary announced he would require ballots to list Changes to in-person and absentee voting and voter registration; provisional ballots" as the title to a proposed amendment to require Minnesotans to produce a photographic identification before voting. The Legislature-passed title is: "Photo identification required for voting.

Supporters of the photo ID amendment are considering suing Ritchie, like those who back a constitutional amendment proposal to ban gay marriage. This morning, marriage amendment backers asked the Minnesota Supreme Court to reject a rewritten title.

Ritchie claims that state law gives him the duty to write a title for proposed constitutional amendments. Republicans who pushed both amendment proposals say Ritchie is overstepping his authority.

Republican legislators and Minnesota for Marriage, an umbrella group supporting the marriage amendment, today asked the high court to return the title to how it passed the Legislature: Recognition of marriage solely between one man and one woman.

Ritchie rewrote the title last month to be: Limiting the status of marriage to opposite sex couples.

GOP amendment supporters said Richie, supported by the attorney generals office, exceeded his legal authority to change the title. The title was approved by 49 of 67 state senators last year, including some Democrats who eventually voted against the amendment.

When the bills Republican legislators passed reached Democratic Gov. Mark Daytons desk, he vetoed them, even though he has no say in constitutional amendments. Ritchie said the veto stripped the amendment of its title and it is his job to make sure each constitutional amendment proposal has a title.

Im rather saddened to see a secretary of state get involved in a partisan issue like the proposal, said Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, the chief Senate author of the proposal.

Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, said that changing the title violates the state Constitution because that decision belongs to legislators. Secretary of State Mark Ritchie is attempting to subvert the will of the people of Minnesota.

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UPDATED: Ritchie sued over Minn. ballot title change, then alters another title