Posted at: 10/04/2012 9:03 PM
Updated at: 10/05/2012 2:14 PM
By: Mark Albert

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Voter ID Supporters, Opponents Square Off in Debate

The two major campaigns for and against the proposed voter identification constitutional amendment squared off in their only one-on-one public debate Thursday evening, as both sides tried to press their case with just over a month to go until Election day.

Before the debate, which was held at Metro State University in St. Paul, opponents to the Voter ID ballot measure held a nearby rally and then marched to the campus.

"Politics is about the improvement of people's lives, not the restriction of freedom," Iraq war veteran Alex Erickson told the crowd of about 50 people who braved chilly temperatures to attend the outdoor rally. "Send it back!" Erickson proclaimed, repeating a familiar refrain that marchers later chanted during the block and a half walk to the debate site.

While Voter ID supporters were far less visible, inside the debate hall Jim Engebretson of Bloomington boasted that he had single-handedly distributed "a couple hundred" lawn signs in support of the measure.

"It's something I believe in very much," he told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS moments before the debate began.

Watch our story above to hear from Dan McGrath representing ProtectMyVote.com and Doran Schrantz representing Our Vote, Our Future, who debated on stage for 90 minutes.