Restrictive Voting Measures Considered in Missouri

Two restrictive voting bills will go to the Missouri Senate and House floors, respectively, after gaining committee approval this week.

Nearly six years has passed since Missouri adopted a photo ID law that was later struck down by the state Supreme Court because it put a “heavy and substantial burden on Missourians’ free exercise of the right of suffrage.” Since then, lawmakers have tried to pass a new voter law that would exclude an estimated 253,496 Missourians from the democratic process. Today, voter ID bill, HB 1104 cleared a House committee after two hours of testimony from the public, the Kansas City Star reports.

“Critics contend that no one in Missouri has ever been prosecuted for committing the type of fraud prevented by a photo ID requirement — voter impersonation,” the Star reports. “They also point out that Missouri voters already are required to provide a form of ID before casting a ballot, such as a utility bill, bank statement or paycheck.”

“The only thing this bill does is erect barriers to the ballot for thousands of Missouri voters,” said the Advancement Project’s Denise Lieberman.

A Senate committee also cleared a bill that may hamper the effectiveness of community-based voter registration drives.

Senate Bill 486 requires individuals who request 50 or more voter registration applications to provide the secretary of state with their name, address, phone number and indicate whether they are working for a group or organization. Such individuals are required to complete a “computer-based” registration training.

Placing limitations on the number of applications reduces the effectiveness of large-scale registration drives and goes against the National Voter Registration Act, which expressly states that voter registration cards must be available to facilitate organized voter registration drives. While state-facilitated trainings on voter registration are not unreasonable, the state must ensure that the training is accessible and does not impose prohibitive restrictions on organizations that help register voters. The bill also creates criminal penalties for people who falsify voter registration forms.

“Monday’s vote of 7-2 sends the bill to the full Senate,” the Associated Press reports.

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