Missouri State Senate voted Monday to pass legislation requiring a photo ID in order to vote.
QUICK FACTS:
- In a 23-11 vote, the Republican-led Missouri Senate voted to pass a bill that would require all voters to show proof of ID at the polls, Newsmax reported.
- The legislation will now be sent to the House where the deadline to pass is taking place by the end of the week.
- Valid forms of ID include non-expired driver’s licenses, nondriver’s licenses, and government-issued photo IDS.
- While the bill would allow voters to vote without an ID to cast a provisional ballot, individuals must return the same day with a valid ID before being properly counted.
REP. JOHN SIMMONS, THE BILL’S SPONSOR:
“We’re still representative of the people that voted overwhelmingly on that constitutional amendment. So we need to get the support of language, the statutory language, right, which is what House Bill 1878 does,” Simmons said.
BACKGROUND:
- In 2020, the Missouri Supreme Court permanently blocked a provision of a law that required voters who didn’t have a proper photo ID to make a sworn statement in order to cast a regular, non-provisional ballot.
- Since then, Republicans have been attempting to pass a similar bill that doesn’t include the sworn statement provision. This new legislation would also ban private donations to fund elections, with the exception of some donations such as water or face masks for election workers.
