“Missourians, they expect voters to come to the polls to with secure, verifiable photo identification,” the bill sponsor said, “It’s as simple as that.”
About 137,700 registered voters in Missouri did not have a state-issued identification in 2017, according to an analysis from the secretary of state’s office.
Another 140,000 voters had expired IDs, and 2,000 more voters had forfeited their driver’s licenses.
Under a bill passed Wednesday in the Missouri House, those registered voters would either have to get a government-issued photo ID or only be allowed to cast a provisional ballot on Election Day.
The provisional ballot would be counted only if the voter returns later that day with a photo ID or if election officials can verify their signature based on voter records.
The Missouri Supreme Court struck down a portion of a photo ID law in January 2020, but the bill's sponsor said he crafted this legislation in direct response to that ruling.
Missouri House Approves Legislation Requiring Photo Identification To Vote ksmu.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ksmu.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Missouri House tries again with voter photo ID law Follow Us
Question of the Day By SUMMER BALLENTINE - Associated Press - Monday, February 22, 2021
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Republican-led Missouri House on Monday advanced another version of a voter photo identification law that was gutted by the state Supreme Court last year.
The court in 2020 permanently blocked a central provision of the 2016 law that required voters who lacked a photo ID to make a sworn statement in order to cast a regular, non-provisional ballot.
In response, Republicans are trying to pass a new voter ID bill that is similar to the 2016 law but doesn’t include the sworn statement provision that the judges found objectionable.