Capital Punishment: Voters To Decide Death Penalty? (Minnesota)

[CShine]

Gov. Tim Pawlenty today is expected to unveil his proposal to reinstate capital punishment in Minnesota through a constitutional amendment, which would ask voters to decide if the state should mete out the death penalty.

House Speaker Steve Sviggum, R-Kenyon, said, based on conversations with Pawlenty staffers, that the governor will suggest that the death penalty be applied only in cases where there is ironclad DNA evidence of guilt and only for people who kill police officers or commit multiple murders or "vicious, vicious assaults on women and children."

Although legislative leaders have said a majority of both the House and the Senate personally oppose the death penalty, polls in the past have found a majority of Minnesotans support it. The amendment, if it passes, would likely be on the ballot in November and would put the final decision on whether to reinstate the death penalty in front of Minnesotans.

"If it is a constitutional amendment approach, I think there would be additional legislative support," said House Majority Leader Eric Paulsen, R-Eden Prairie. Paulsen said it would still be an uphill battle to pass the death penalty.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/7803925.htm

[Thor_MN]

1. When the He!! will Blinky figure out that we do not want to be North Texas

Minnesota Nice beats Texas Rude (at least in my book.) If TimMAY wants to play executioner, why can't he move to Texas???

[Eric J in MN]

2. What are the requirements to amend the MN state Constitution? nt

nt

[BayCityProgressive]

3. Sad

:-( I wish we could get over state sanctioned murder...

[dflprincess]

4. The legislature has to pass the proposed amendment

If it passes it is placed on the ballot for the next general election. To become part of the State Consititution a majority of people voting must vote for it. Any ballot where neither yes or no has been checked, counts as a no vote.

Putting this on the ballot is just a trick to divert attention from capital punishment as the issue. Any state senator or rep who doesn't want to vote for this will be hounded as not "trusting the people" to decide.

As Sen. John Hottinger, (DFL St Peter) said in the article " is a cowardly approach designed to allow elected officials to avoid responsibility for taking us down this dark alley of criminal justice."

Of course Gov. (and bush stooge) Pawlenty said "With these safeguards built in, the bad experiences of other states would not apply.
This proposal is not out of the mainstream. The 12 states that don't have the death penalty are in the minority."

Okay Tim, and if all the other states were jumping off a bridge, would Minnesota have to, too?

[PaDUer]

5. Don't forget the "new"

way of counting the votes.</>sarcasm