This past week we spent time arguing an elections bill in the House that contained some good provisions – early and no-excuse absentee voting but also some very bad provisions – requiring a photo ID for voters.
Photo ID legislation pops up every year – this year it was filed by Rep. John Diehl (R-Town & Country) who is the former St. Louis County Election Board Commissioner.
The previous photo ID law
was ruled unconstitutional in 2006 by the Missouri Supreme Court:
”all elections shall be free and open and no power, civil or military, shall at any time interfere to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage.”
I am very familiar with this issue because my husband, Burt Newman, was one of the attorneys who challenged the photo ID law in the MO Supreme Court.
I took the lead last week to inform & brief the Democratic Caucus and then helped manage the floor debate to oppose HB1966 and the corresponding joint resolution, HJR 64. This resolution would authorize the adoption of identification requirements for voting such as those found in HB 1966. If approved by both chambers, it would appear on the November ballot for voter approval – the only way to change voting requirements is by amending the state constitution.
Some of us wondered in amazement because the bill we debated just prior to the Photo ID bill was a joint resolution to make it HARDER to amend the state constitution.
One of my colleagues said it best. “The only reason we are trying to tighten the requirements on this is to deny the vote to elderly people, to disabled people and to minority people in the state of Missouri,” said Rep. John Burnett, D-Kansas City.
HB1966 passed the House on a clear party line vote and now goes to the Senate.