Photo ID Dies in 2009! Missouri Voters are Vindicated

We are pleased to announce that photo ID didn’t budge over the last 6 weeks. HJR 9 was DOA once it hit the House calendar where it sat through the close of the 2009 session. After thousands of calls poured into legislative offices and voters made their voices heard at media events and hearings, the state legislature got the message.

Clearly your calls, emails and visits made a difference! Missouri’s commonsense voter ID laws prevail again. We hope this will be last time that we have to worry about this degenerative reform.

The Clock is Ticking . . .

After arriving at an impasse on education and economic development it would seem that the state legislature has forgotten all about photo ID. Although there have been rumors and threats of bringing HJR 9 to the House floor there hasn’t seemed to be an opportune time to get to it.

Could this mean the end of the photo ID fight for 2009? We hope so and we hope it dies to never roam the capitol halls again.

Requiring voter ID will do more harm than good

Denise Lieberman, senior attorney and voter protection advocate for the Advancement Project pointed out all the fallacies and misnomers surrounding HJR 9 in a guest column printed in the Columbia Missourian this morning.  

GUEST COLUMN: Requiring voter ID will do more harm than good

By Denise Lieberman

May 6, 2009 | 9:46 a.m. CDT

I was glad to see the Missourian give attention to the photo ID voting proposal now awaiting vote in the Missouri legislature. Boone County voters would be among those most affected by the HJR 9 measure, and the voting rights of many Mizzou students and Boone County residents hangs in the balance. But a recent op-ed on the topic in the Missourian (“Voter ID necessary for fair elections,” Karl Miller, May 5, 2009) misses the mark.

The proposal is the latest effort by Missouri lawmakers to require voters to produce a specific kind of photo ID at the polls before they can cast a ballot. This needless measure would change our constitution to require voters to provide this ID. This is more restrictive than most of us realize. In contrast to what Mr. Miller suggests in his editorial, the measure wouldn’t allow you to use your college ID, a driver’s license from another state, your voter identification card, or the other forms of ID that are currently allowed at the polls. The fact is that if you don’t have the specific kind of ID outlined in the law, you wouldn’t be allowed cast a regular ballot even if you’re a fully eligible, registered voter. Are you a college student here with an out-of-state ID? A person with a disability who doesn’t drive? Your state of birth can’t find your original birth certificate? Your driver’s license expired? Your records destroyed in Hurricane Katrina? Too bad, even if you are a duly registered voter in Missouri, you would not be entitled to cast a regular ballot. In fact, analysis conducted by the Secretary of State concludes the law could disenfranchise up to 230,000 registered Missouri voters who don’t have the kind of photo ID required – including 6,055 voters in Boone County.  Although getting a photo ID is free, it can be costly, difficult and sometimes even impossible to obtain the documents necessary to secure the ID. That’s why the Missouri Supreme Court in 2006 said such a law was unconstitutional, finding that it posed a "a heavy and substantial burden on Missourians' free exercise of the right of suffrage." Now lawmakers want to circumvent our court by asking voters to change our very constitution.

To get the ID, you must first present documents such as a birth certificate to prove your identity, citizenship and place of residence. In some instances, you must present a social security card, proof of residence, court documents or marriage and divorce records if names have changed. Studies show that 11 million people nationwide — and 230,000 here in Missouri — lack or can’t get the required ID.

What’s worse, this law is unnecessary. Despite the claims levied in Mr. Miller’s editorial, research has found time and again that there has never been an instance of voter impersonation fraud in Missouri. What’s more — Missouri law already requires voters to show ID at the polls to prove they are who they say they are on election day. And despite the claims in Mr. Miller’s editorial, photo ID is not an inevitable national trend. Our own state Supreme Court concluded that it violates our fundamental right to vote.

If you’ve ever voted in Missouri, you know that it rarely runs without hitches. And while elections ran more smoothly in 2008 than in the past, many jurisdictions still were overwhelmed and unprepared to meet the large voter turnout. In fact, with thousands of St. Louis County voters standing in line up to seven hours to cast a ballot, news outlets characterized the experience as the “longest wait in America.”  

Yet, rather than pursuing reforms like effective early voting in Missouri — as they have in 32 other states — to reduce administrative burdens and make it easier for voters to cast their ballots on Election Day, Missouri lawmakers instead have focused on this overly restrictive photo ID proposal that doesn’t make sense and isn’t justified.

To add insult to injury — perhaps in an effort to appease the nearly 6,000 Missouri voters who have already called Jefferson City to oppose the measure — the bill’s sponsors tacked on a litany of amendments that don’t help voters. To make matters even worse, the proposal overrides pages of laws protecting disabled and military voters, including Mr. Miller himself! Voters should know that the rights of 10,000 overseas military voters and 15,000 disabled voters are at risk because the measure eliminates the state’s permanent absentee service and eliminates the ability for county clerks and boards to get over 10,000 Missourians in uniform ballots via email and fax. The fact is, no Missourian should lose his or her right to vote because a government bureaucracy is unable to provide her with a copy of her birth certificate. I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Miller that we should dispense with the partisan politics in Jefferson City — but in my book, disenfranchising voters isn’t partisan politicking – this is about protecting our citizens’ most fundamental of rights.

Have lawmakers given thought to the many “real life” Missourians who would not be able to vote because they were unable to obtain the needed documents required by the photo ID law? Voters who would be disenfranchised include Boone County’s Kathleen Weinschenk, who has cerebral palsy and because of her disability is unable to make a consistent signature or mark — her signature would not match the signature on her voter registration record required by the Missouri law. Maudie Mae Hughes and Lillie Lewis of St. Louis are elderly women born in Mississippi who can’t get a Missouri photo ID required by the law because they cannot get a copy of their birth certificates from the State of Mississippi, which says it has no record of their births. Because they cannot get a copy of their birth certificates, they wouldn’t be able to obtain the necessary Missouri ID required under the law. Amanda Mullaney was born in Kentucky to unwed parents and her name does not match the name on her birth certificate. The late Judge Charles Blackmar, one of the judges sitting on the Missouri Supreme Court for the 2006 photo ID challenge, learned that he would not be able to cast a regular ballot because, at 84 years old, he no longer drove a car and had allowed his driver’s license to expire.

Missouri lawmakers can do better. With just two weeks remaining in the legislative session in the midst of a massive budget crisis, don’t they have more important matters to address than taking up a proposal costing nearly $6 million in taxpayer dollars to change our constitution to disenfranchise thousands of voters — especially the most disadvantaged among us? We cannot allow these tactics to relegate eligible Missouri voters to second-class citizenship. The rights of all citizens should be protected, not just those with state IDs.

Denise Lieberman is the Missouri senior attorney and voter protection advocate for Advancement Project who headed Election Day monitoring operations in St. Louis in 2004, 2006 and 2008. She serves as a spokesperson for Missourians for Fair Elections, a non-partisan coalition opposing HJR 9, www.mofairelections.org. She teaches political science at Washington University in St. Louis.

Op-Ed Misses the Point on Photo ID

In an op-ed piece in today’s Columbia Missourian, Boone Co. resident J. Karl Miller overlooked several key caveats and problems encountered in HJR 9.  Our response to his statements and misguided logic are as follows: 

First, Mr. Miller claims that requiring government issued photo IDs to vote is an inevitable national trend and that Missouri will HAVE to reform its current common sense voter ID law.  Currently, there are no indications that the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) or the Department of Justice (DOJ), two federal agencies charged with overseeing election administration and with enforcement of federal election requirements, are pushing for restrictive government-issued IDs to vote.  Rather, elections have historically been run at the local level and there is no reason that we see should change the system to make it a top down, state driven system. 

Second, Mr. Miller remarks that student IDs and out of state driver’s licenses should be acceptable as forms of photo ID.  We totally agree with Mr. Miller but UNFORTUNTATELY these forms of ID would NOT be acceptable if HJR 9 passed.  Rather, non-expired driver’s licenses, non-driver’s licenses, military IDs and passports would be voters’ ONLY options. 

Third, Mr. Miller’s logic that 230,000 voters not having driver’s licenses shouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things is flawed.  Elections are won and lost in Missouri by increasingly tight margins.  The presidential race in Missouri was won by less than 3,000 votes statewide!  Two state legislative races were tight enough in 2008 that the victory margins were under 100 votes and recounts were called.  Trying to say that 230,000 voters is only 6% of the voting population and doesn’t matter because 30% of Missourians didn’t go to the polls in Missouri is flawed and won’t hold up in the courts.

Fourth, Mr. Miller is a retired Marine AND disabled voter.  He and all other active duty and retired military voters should be made aware that HJR 9 chisels away at their voting rights.  HJR 9 eliminates the state’s permanent absentee service AND eliminates the ability for county clerks and boards to get over 10,000 Missourians in uniform ballots via email and fax.  For Missourians who are fighting for democracy in the Middle East and beyond it would be a cruel move to make their vote inaccessible. 

Finally, the act of voting is not a privilege, it is a RIGHT.  Creating barriers to voting for voters regardless of their political leanings because they aren’t fortunate enough to have a certified copy of their birth certificate or because they don’t drive is WRONG and according to our current state constitution, it is ILLEGAL.  This is not about partisanship, it is about democracy.   

Secretary of State: 230,000 Voters in MO will be Hurt by Photo ID

Affected voters and Boone County Clerk Wendy Noren held an awareness event with Secretary of State Robin Carnahan this afternoon to discuss an updated list of registered voters who don't have driver's licenses. The event was held as HJR 9 sits on the House Perfection Calendar and legislators have predicted that it will be sent out of the House this week.

Overall, there are nearly 230,000 Missouri registered voters who currently do not have government-issued identification. Breaking it down by county, we see a startling trend of which voters will be most impacted:

• St. Louis Co.: 51,708
• St. Louis City: 29,949
• Kansas City: 22,741
• Greene Co: 10,043
• Jackson Co: 8,866
• Boone Co: 6,055
• St. Charles Co: 5,903
• Clay Co: 5,580

HJR 9 is expensive to the voter. Voters without Missouri issued driver’s licenses will have to spend hours navigating bureaucracy to find certified copies of their birth certificate and court papers if their name has changed. In some cases voters will be stuck in a catch-22 where they can’t get a certified copy of their birth certificate without a valid driver’s license. Meanwhile other voters born outside Missouri or who have experienced natural disasters like floods and fires will be helpless because their documents were long destroyed.

HJR 9 is unnecessary and impacts nearly a quarter million Missouri voters who will be discouraged from even going to the polls because of the extra hoops they’ll have to jump through. The legislature should pay heed to the county by county numbers generated by the Secretary of State and drop HJR 9 from the House calendar today.

Will the State Take Up Photo ID with 3 Weeks to Go?

With 3 weeks to go, the state legislature adjourned Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. without taking up HJR 9. The House and Senate have yet to reconcile a budget that Governor Jay Nixon could agree to AND they have $2.3 Billion in stimulus funds to place before May 8th. A reasonable person would think that their simply isn’t enough time or political will to hurt 240,000 registered Missouri voters through unnecessary and expensive election reform, but some legislators aren’t letting photo ID die quietly.

Rep. Shane Schoeller (R-139) told David Catanese yesterday in response to his story about photo ID that the bill would be brought to the House floor nearly next week. Don’t these guys have enough to keep them busy with 15 days left in session? Isn’t dealing with the economic crisis, balancing the budget, helping Missourians secure more jobs and insuring quality healthcare a long enough list of REAL problems? We encourage you to call your legislators TODAY to remind them to SOLVE real problems rather than CREATE problems for Missouri voters!

Odds are Against HJR 9: Webster Co. Clerk & League of Women Voters Speak Out

Tonight, David Catanese, political reporter for KY3 NBC news in Springfield ran a story entitled “Early Voting, Voter ID Proposal May be Too Big to Pass.” The story featured Southwest Missouri League of Women Voters President Lois Detrick who spoke about the League’s opposition to putting 240,000 registered voters at risk and Webster County Clerk Stanley Whitehurst spoke about the poorly thought out implementation and unintended costs of HJR 9. The story follows:

Early voting, voter ID proposal may be too big to pass

SPRINGFIELD -- If you want to vote early in Missouri, you'd need to bring a photo I.D.

And that's probably why both legislative ideas won't survive the waning days of the 2009 session.

A joint House resolution would allow Missourians to vote a week early in statewide races --- but require a photo I.D. to do so. It's an attempted compromise between Republicans and Democrats. But there's so much in the bill, the odds are it will fail.

Willard Rep. Shane Schoeller said the House will take up House Joint Resolution 9 next week and it will probably pass. The stumbling block will come in the Senate, where a filibuster is threatened.

And even if it does clear both chambers, it would then go to the voters to decide in 2010.

KY3 News, Springfield

The St. Louis Beacon’s View on Photo ID’s Movement

Photo finished? Time's running out for House resolution supporting photo voter ID

By Jo Mannies and Dale Singer, Beacon staff

Posted 11:02 a.m. Tues., April 21 - The state Capitol snapped to attention Monday when Missouri House Majority Leader Steve Tilley sent out a "tweet'' on his Twitter  online account that laid out his predictions about any legislation's chances.

Tilley tweeted that a bill must pass the House this week -- and be on its way to the Senate -- "to have a realistic chance of passage'' before this legislative session ends May 15.

That edict could affect several controversial measures.

Among them: House Joint Resolution 9 (HJR 9) , the latest effort by Republicans to require all Missouri voters to show a government-issued photo ID at the polls before they can cast a ballot.

Almost three years ago, the Missouri Supreme Court thwarted a legislative move to impose the government-issued photo ID requirement in the 2006 election. The court tossed out the mandate just weeks before Election Day.

The court said the new law violated Missouri's constitution by imposing "a heavy and substantial burden on Missourians' free exercise of the right of suffrage."

This legislative session, some Republican backers -- including Tilley -- are hoping to circumvent the court and another powerful opponent, Gov. Jay Nixon, by going directly to Missouri voters in 2010 with a proposed constitutional amendment mandating the government-issued photo IDs.

If passed by voters in 2010, the proposed government-issued photo ID requirement would then be in place for the next presidential election in 2012.

The governor doesn't get a chance to sign or veto "joint resolutions'' that propose a constitutional amendment and pass both chambers. Such measures go directly on the ballot.

Backers are banking on a floor vote this week on HJR 9, after the measure won approval last week from the House Rules Committee

Although concerned about the time crunch, Tilley observed recently that a photo ID mandate is "a pretty big issue'' for legislators like himself who support the requirement.

But in the state Senate, potential opponents like Sen. Joan Bray, D-University City, and Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, say they will attempt to block HJR 9 -- with a filibuster, if necessary -- if the final version is, as Bray put it, "a piece of junk."

Supporters of the requirement believe that most Missouri voters -- especially those in rural areas -- share their belief that the lack of a government-issued photo ID invites fraud at the polls.

Democrats generally dispute the fraud allegations and say the GOP's real aim is to disenfranchise low-income, disabled and minority voters who are least likely to have government-issued photo IDs, and more likely to favor Democrats.

To sweeten the taste for dissenters, the proposal's sponsors have added a provision authorizing no-fault early voting, which Missouri does not have -- and which many Democrats (and a few Republicans) have long sought.

State Sen. Delbert Scott, R-Lowry City, was among the leaders of the failed 2006 effort to mandate government-issued photo identification at the polls.

He said Monday that he's had some misgivings about seeking a constitutional amendment and about tacking on the early-voting provisions.

"Having said that, if it's the only way to do it and it's a tradeoff for early vote -- I don't know if it's a good idea or not," Scott added. "I am very supportive of the photo ID and certainly am not opposed to the early voting within a certain price tag."

But the two-pronged effort by Missouri's photo-ID supporters appears to have created a new obstacle to their chances of getting the measure through this session -- the Missouri County Clerks Association.

For much of the state, especially rural Missouri, county clerks run the elections.

Missouri's county clerks are split over the photo ID requirement, said association president Stan Whitehurst, the Webster County circuit clerk. But when it comes to HJR 9's early voting mandate, most of the association members are against it.

"As it's currently framed, we don't think the legislation is the right approach,'' Whitehurst said.

By coincidence, the association's membership is gathered in Jefferson City this week for a conference. While in town, Whitehurst added, "We plan to be visiting with our legislators'' to register the concerns about the proposal.

Many association members object to HJR 9's specific language regarding office hours and administrative procedures for early voting, he explained. But what really got the group worked up is the measure's lack of state money to help cover the added election costs that county clerks believe will accompany early voting.

Legislators "don't feel the (financial) pain," Whitehurst said. "If they had some skin in the game, they'd be concerned about the costs of these specific proposals."

The association's concerns could well harm HJR 9's chances, by providing unexpected assistance to various groups who have long been opponents of any Missouri law requiring government-issued photo IDs at the polls.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, more than 30 states already allow early voting. Only seven require photo identification.

BATTLE LINES OVER PHOTO IDS AT THE POLLS

The arguments over requiring government-issued photo IDs at the polls have changed little in three years.

Based on state statistics, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's office believes that up to 240,000 of Missouri's registered voters lack a driver's license -- the chief form of government-issued photo ID that would be allowed under HJR 9. Others put that figure in the range of 160,000 people.

(Those figures were compiled by comparing the number of Missourians with drivers licenses with those on voter rolls. Critics say duplicate voter registrations inaccurately fatten the comparison, and also back up their case that better identification is needed to guard against people voting more than once.)

HJR 9 also would allow a U.S. passport, a military-issued ID or a state-issued photo identification card for non-drivers as an acceptable government-issued ID.

Carnahan's official report of the November 2008 election, which came out last month, declared that there was no evidence of any voter fraud -- but plenty of incidences where legitimately registered people got turned away. In some cases, she wrote, they were improperly told they needed photo IDs.

Carnahan's predecessor, Republican Matt Blunt, asserted in his report after the 2000 election that as many of 1,233 people were illegally allowed to obtain court orders to vote after they couldn't provide evidence that they were registered. Later, the U.S. Justice Department asserted in a lawsuit that an undetermined number of legitimate voters in the city of St. Louis were inappropriately barred from voting in November 2000 because of faulty voter rolls.

In any case, St. Louis lawyer Denise Lieberman, who is the Missouri voter protection coordinator for a nationwide group known as the Advancement Project, says the real issue centers on the real people who are now legitimate voters but could lose their rights if Missouri institutes a constitutional amendment requiring government-issued photo IDs.

"We're not talking about people who would be otherwise ineligible to vote," she said. "We are talking about disenfranchising eligible voters, people who have a right to cast a ballot and have a say in their government, who have been arbitrarily removed from the political process solely because they could not get a copy of an original birth certificate, say, or a student in Missouri with a driver's license from another state or a person with a disability whose signature changes every time."

By a 6-1 vote, the Missouri Supreme Court embraced similar arguments. For example, the court noted that people seeking a driver's license or non-driver photo ID must produce a birth certificate, which can cost $15 to acquire. Such a payment violates the constitutional right to free elections, the court said.

One person who knows firsthand of the frustrations that the photo ID provision can bring is Kathleen Weinschenk of Columbia, Mo., who was instrumental in bringing the suit that overturned the 2006 photo ID law.

Weinschenk, who uses a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy, is unable to write her name and must make a mark while signing documents. Because of her disability, the mark is not the same from one time to the next, so it is difficult to use it as identification.

She said tying the photo ID issue to provisions for early voting undercuts the right she has worked so hard to secure.

"If you have early voting, but not everyone can vote, it still doesn't help anything," she said. "If you have only a selected few people who can vote, you're not a democracy, are you?"

Meanwhile, state Sen. Scott said that requiring government-issued photo identification would provide Missourians with a "great deal of comfort" about the legitimacy of the state's election process.

If Republican legislative leaders are committed, there is time to get the measure through both chambers by May 15, he said.

However, Scott also took note of the potential obstacles facing HJR 9 as well: "I don't know whether it's got legs or not."

Freelance writer Jason Rosenbaum contributed information for this report.

Contact Beacon political reporter Jo Mannies or Beacon staff writer Dale Singer.

http://www.stlbeacon.org/missouri_issues/photo_finished_time_s_running_out_for_house_resolution_supporting_photo_voter_id_

Will State House Stand by Real ID Vote?

The MO House of Representatives engaged in a colorful debate on HB 361 centering around the federal Real ID act which requires each state to move toward federalized driver’s licenses and databases.  The very same legislators who have time and again voted in favor of requiring photo IDs to vote opposed Real ID because of the bureaucratic headache and cost of acquiring it.

Following this logic, one would believe that the same state representatives who oppose real ID would also oppose photo ID requirements to vote because both require jumping through bureaucratic hoops, paying fees for supporting documentation and long waits for such documents.  Even the bill’s champion, Jim Guest, and Rep. Ryan Silvey confused one another as they discussed the process of acquiring a bona fied, government-issued photo ID.  Click here to listen to their circular floor discussion. 

Ultimately, the House voted to oppose Real ID because of the burden that would be imposed on Missourians to get federal certified ID to enter federal buildings and travel by airplane.  The House of Representatives voted against such requirements in an 83-69 vote.  Let’s hope that the same legislators will respond in the same way to unnecessary and burdensome photo ID requirements. 

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Letter to the Editor Published TODAY!

We are very proud of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch enough for taking a stand AGAINST Photo ID and the state legislature’s attempt to tack a feeble early voting reform onto it.  Read our letter to the PD below which we sent in response to their Editorial entitled Partisans who mess with voters’ rights are playing with fire. 

Tying voter ID to early voting is an underhanded move to suppress voters

Thursday, Apr. 16 2009

Tying voter ID to early voting is an underhanded move to suppress voters
We applaud the paper's efforts to speak out against HJR 9, the snowballing
photo identification constitutional amendment being pushed through the state
legislature this year.

As the editorial "Early voting gets a poison pill" (April 10) shrewdly pointed
out, this law is unnecessary, expensive and a clear impediment to making sure
that every eligible voter is able to vote. We were extremely disappointed that
the Elections Committee refused to hold a public hearing on the bill after 10
pages of changes were added, thereby changing its intent and impact
dramatically. It is important that concerned voters, advocates and affected
organizations share their views on such proposals before they are passed.

Tying voter deterrence legislation like photo identification to a good
government measure like early voting is illogical and underhanded. To make
matters even worse, HJR 9 is a constitutional amendment that was poorly written
and overrides pages of pre-existing absentee voting statutes that protect
disabled and military voters. If HJR 9 passed in its current form, it
potentially could disenfranchise up to 200,000 voters, and the secretary of
state estimates that 10,000 overseas military voters and 15,000 disabled voters
would be hurt as well.

We call HJR 9 for what it is: A merciless and unnecessary reform that uses an
inadequate early voting reform as a disguise to hurt the most vulnerable voters
in this state.

Denise Lieberman – St. Louis
Bob Quinn – Jefferson City
Spokespersons for the Missourians for Fair Elections Coalition

Rules Committee Sends Photo ID to Floor Despite Acknowledgment of Bill’s Flaws

The Rules Committee met last night to consider several bills including HCS HJR 9, the photo ID law. It comes as no surprise that Photo ID moved so quickly to the top of the Rules’ Committee list as the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Stanley Cox is the Vice-Chairman of the Committee. Despite a motion made by Rep. Stephen Webber to send the photo ID bill back to the Elections Committee for further review and public input, the committee chose to vote this dangerous and snowballing bill out of the committee. Rep. Webber and Rep. Mike Talboy each spoke to the issue and pointed out that other pieces of legislation have been sent back to their committees of origin for further review and photo ID should be no different. Chairman Michael Parson even agreed that there were “issues” with the bill but he had been reassured by Rep. Cox that some of the bill’s provisions would be corrected once it goes to the House the floor.

It is unacceptable that our legislators are willing to pass this legislation out of committee KNOWING IT IS INHERENTLY FLAWED and would most certainly disenfranchise tens of thousands of disabled and overseas military voters. CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS TODAY AND LET THEM KNOW HOW DISAPPOINTED you are in their FLAWED PROCESS!

Rep. Cynthia Davis: Totally off the Mark

The Turner Report captured a column written over the weekend by Rep. Cynthia Davis (R-O’Fallon) in response to the many calls she has received in opposition to a photo ID requirement in Missouri. Not only was her column based in rumors, stereotypes and misgivings but it also completely missed the mark. In her assertions, Davis claimed:

None of us should want to see our elections subverted by van loads of people rounded up and herded into our polling places to vote illegally.

First of all, the Department of Justice and Secretaries of State past and present have pointed out there are no recorded instances of in-person voter impersonation in Missouri. This is a law that Davis believes will deter illegal voters from going to polls but the intended effect is that a photo ID law will discourage eligible, registered Missouri voters.

Later in the column Davis continues exclaimed that:

Some of my constituents stated that these callers have told them that the state was taking away the right to vote from seniors and low-income individuals. This proposal does not take away anyone’s right to vote.

We are happy that Davis is taking calls from her constituents but we fear she isn’t listening. Davis continues to deny that this proposal would make it INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT for voters to actually cast ballots. Photo ID would take the fundamental act of voting and turn it into a bureaucratic nightmare full of expensive and time consuming obstacles for voters without a valid driver’s licenses, military IDs or passports. These persons include disabled, minority and urban area voters. Just the types of voters that Rep. Davis isn’t concerned about or interested in protecting. Shame on you Cynthia for not really listening to Missouri Voters and passing HCS HJR 9 out of committee!

Powerful Excerpts from Yesterday’s Post-Dispatch Story

So here’s a system that worked and could be improved only by allowing Missourians to vote early, as voters in 32 other states can do. Naturally, Republican lawmakers in the Missouri House of Representatives have decided to mess up a good idea with a bad one. . .

That’s not all. To gain even this second-class system, Missouri voters would have to swallow an amendment to HJR 9 requiring mandatory photo identification at polling places. House Republicans cynically cobbled together the two concepts into one proposal — all without a public hearing. . .

As much as we favor early voting, we can’t swallow the poison pill that is the voter ID requirement. The House should reject the committee bill. Failing that, the Senate should reject it. . .

Citizens are way ahead of politicians when it comes to voting rights. They’ve lived through Bush v. Gore, long lines at polling place, scare tactics and dirty tricks on Election Day. They have had enough. They have every reason to resent this cynical partisanship. Partisans who mess with voters’ rights are playing with fire — and deserve to get burned. . .

Excerpts taken from the April 9th St. Louis Post-Dispatch Editorial entitled: Partisans who mess with voters’ rights are playing with fire. For Full Story Click Here.

Post-Dispatch Bashes HJR 9 – Equates Photo ID to Poison

Partisans who mess with voters’ rights are playing with fire

April 9, 2009

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Editorial Board

Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan published a detailed report last week saying that Missouri voters generally fared well at the polls last November.

That was no accident. Despite huge turnouts, troubles were few at state polling places, the result of good preparation by election officials, voting rights advocates, voters themselves and more than 24,000 volunteers — real patriots at work.

So here’s a system that worked and could be improved only by allowing Missourians to vote early, as voters in 32 other states can do. Naturally, Republican lawmakers in the Missouri House of Representatives have decided to mess up a good idea with a bad one.

On a pure party-line vote Tuesday, the House Elections Committee approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow early voting, but only at the cost of disenfranchising many voters and locking Missouri into one of the least progressive voting systems in the nation.

Missouri voters would benefit immensely from an early voting system. But state lawmakers have shown little interest in their constituents’ convenience. They do a lot of talking about it, but they consistently have failed to take action.

Now House Republicans are holding early voting hostage. They are proposing a constitutional amendment that provides early voting, but through the stingiest program imaginable.

Under their plan, embodied in House Joint Resolution 9, early voting would be available just for one week and for limited hours. Other states allow early voting to last at least two weeks and accommodate working people with extended hours.

HJR 9 would let counties open one early voting center. Those that wanted more than one would would receive no state support.

That’s not all. To gain even this second-class system, Missouri voters would have to swallow an amendment to HJR 9 requiring mandatory photo identification at polling places. House Republicans cynically cobbled together the two concepts into one proposal — all without a public hearing.

The photo ID requirement is a vestige of GOP political guru Karl Rove’s voter suppression efforts during President George W. Bush’s administration. A voter ID requirement passed in Missouri in 2006, but was thrown out by the Missouri Supreme Court. Subsequently, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld — wrongly, in our view — a similar law in Indiana.

Photo ID is billed as a way to stem fraud, but that’s a phony argument. There wasn’t a single complaint of voter impersonation in Missouri in the last election cycle.

The effect would be to disenfranchise some of the more than 200,000 Missourians who lack photo IDs, many of them elderly or poor — people who tend to vote Democratic.

And it would penalize voters who need special assistance. Permanently disabled voters, for example, now can be granted permanent absentee voter status. HJR 9 provides no such allowance.

Constitutions should be amended infrequently and with care. This amendment was proposed simply to circumvent a gubernatorial veto.

As much as we favor early voting, we can’t swallow the poison pill that is the voter ID requirement. The House should reject the committee bill. Failing that, the Senate should reject it.

Citizens are way ahead of politicians when it comes to voting rights. They’ve lived through Bush v. Gore, long lines at polling place, scare tactics and dirty tricks on Election Day. They have had enough. They have every reason to resent this cynical partisanship. Partisans who mess with voters’ rights are playing with fire — and deserve to get burned.

http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-platform/published-editorials/2009/04/partisans-who-mess-with-voters-rights-are-playing-with-fire/

Check out all the Stories on Yesterday’s Hearing!

MO Elections Chief Blasts Proposed Changes - Associated Press

Election Group Pans Voter ID Passage out of Committee – KY3 Political Notebook

Proposed Change to Constitution Would Create Early Voting Period, Require Photo ID – Springfield News-Leader

Election Committee Approves Voter Photo ID - KRCG Channel 13

Photo ID Resolution Passes MO House Committee - KWMU Radio, St. Louis

Photo ID Voted out of Elections Committee

Committee Scrambles to Pass Photo ID Legislation to Avoid Public Objection

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday April 7, 2009

Contact: Bob Quinn 573-690-2440 or Denise Lieberman 314-780-1833

Jefferson City, MO – Three years after the Missouri Supreme Court struck down a government-issued photo ID requirement to vote as unconstitutional, the Missouri House Elections Committee, chaired by Representative Bill Deeken (R-114), passed out a surprise version of the unnecessary and costly bill earlier this morning by a vote of 7 to 5.

In a swift move meant to circumvent public comment on the proposal, Rep. Cox replaced his single page photo ID bill, HJR 9, with an 11 page committee substitute version of the bill as it came up for a vote. Cox’ new proposal not only calls for costly and overly-restrictive photo ID and lengthy constitutional provisions for implementing photo ID but also included unfamiliar advance voting requirements. Neither of the revised provisions were heard in a public forum by the committee so that concerned voters, advocates and affected organizations could share their views on the drastically overhauled measure.

This move also came after thousands of Missourians called their legislators to speak out against photo ID this session.

“It is disturbing that the majority of this committee has made it their legislative priority to push forth restrictive measures that make it harder for people to vote, instead of working to solve the real challenges that Missouri families currently face,” said Bob Quinn, a spokesman for the Missourians for Fair elections coalition. Over the past several years, tens of thousands of Missourians have already lost their jobs and their healthcare; with passage of this measure, they could lose their constitutional right to vote too.”

Even in the midst of a national economic crisis, hundreds of thousands of Missourians without healthcare and unemployment rates at a 25 year high, the Missouri legislature continues to push this unnecessary and burdensome election reform. Past fiscal notes for the cost of government-issued photo ID legislation had a price tag to the state of nearly $6 million. Missourians like Lillie Lewis who do not already have a government-issued photo ID, will have to spend money and hours of their time searching for underlying documents like missing birth certificates.

HJR 9, proposed by Stanley Cox (R-118), would require every eligible Missouri voter to provide government-issued photo ID in order to vote. Research showed last year that this requirement could disenfranchise up to 240,000 eligible citizens, including 90,000 rural residents and 50,000 elderly Missourians. Over 5,000 Missourians from across the state have called their legislators on the elections committee in opposition to the bill already.

The original version of HJR 9 was heard in the House Elections Committee on February 17^th and 24^th. However, Cox proposed a drastically amended version of the bill before holding the vote on it this morning which was not allowed to be commented on by the public. Ranking member Rep. Michael Frame (D-105) along with 4 other members of the House Elections Committee sent a letter requesting Chairman Deeken hear the new version of the bill so that the public could discuss their concerns about the bill. Chairman Deeken denied additional hearings on the radically revised bill and it soon passed out of committee.

Fighting for the thousands of Missourians who would be disenfranchised by this proposal and realizing the unnecessary cost to Missouri voters, the Missourians for Fair Elections coalition will again make sure the stories of Missourians who would lose their right to vote are heard. The coalition continues to encourage calls to legislators asking them NOT to spend resources and time on photo ID legislation.

To learn more about this issue and how it would impact Missourians, visit www.MoFairElections.org

Deeken & Cox May Force Photo ID Through This Week!

The House Elections Committee will meet again Tuesday April 7th 2009 at 8AM in Hearing Room 5. It is almost certain that Chairman Deeken will call HJR 9 (Photo ID) up for a vote because there are no other elections bills slated for a hearing. Despite cries from Rep. Frame and other committee members, It is also suspected that Rep. Cox will attempt to sneak the committee substitute version of photo ID past the committee thereby undermining the public hearing process for the reform.

Thank you again to the thousands that have called legislators and elections committee members. Regardless of the outcome of tomorrow’s hearing, we’ll continue to put pressure on the state legislature to do the right thing and VOTE NO ON PHOTO ID.

House Elections Committee Will Meet Tomorrow, April 1st

The House Elections Committee will meet again tomorrow, Wednesday April 1st 2009 at 8AM in Hearing Room 3. It is unclear whether or not Chairman Deeken will call HJR 9 (Photo ID) up for a vote but he has given notice of holding executive session at the hearing.

Thank you to the thousands that have called legislators and elections committee members. We know that they are receiving the calls but we can’t know until tomorrow whether or not they’re listening! Regardless, we’ll continue to keep the pressure on them not to pass out this detrimental and costly bill. Most importantly, we want to continue to hear from you! Send us your stories about how requiring overly-restrictive photo ID will affect you and those you know. Email us at MoFairElections@gmail.com.

Stay tuned . . . .we’ll have updates after tomorrow’s hearing.

Elections Committee Members Urge for Public Input on New Version of Photo ID

After photo ID sponsor Rep. Stanley Cox (R-114) attempted unsuccessfully to pass out a drastically changed version of HJR 9 because of a clerical error, 5 of his colleagues used the time between committee hearings wisely. As you can see from a copy of the letter sent from ranking member Rep. Michael Frame (D-105), 5 of 12 House Elections committee members felt that affected voters and concerned organizations should be allowed to provide public comment on the bill which would now produce a massive fiscal note and would put the reform on a fast track to implementation if passed. Please help convince the rest of the House Elections Committee & your legislators that photo ID is too costly to Missouri Voters and to the state. Call your legislator today!

We Couldn’t Have Said it Better

A post on Show Me Progress earlier today really sums up the partisan ritual Missouri legislators have taken part in over the past 3 years when it comes to the expensive and unnecessary push for Photo ID. The Post follows:

Spring Ritual

It's spring! Robins are bursting with song, the Bartlett Pear trees look like huge bouquets, and another voter i.d. bill is sitting in a House committee. Guess which two of those spring rituals are good news.

In 2006, the Missouri Supreme Court struck down the voter i.d. law Republicans had passed as unconstitutional, but last year SCOTUS upheld an even stricter voter i.d. law in Indiana, so Missouri's right wingers have decided it's time to try again. They will, more than likely, get the bill out of committee on a party line vote, and if they do, House Republicans will flip the Democratic party the bird without a second thought.

Their "yea" votes will be saying in effect: You know all those tight elections, those squeakers you managed to pull off? Kiss those victories goodbye in the future, because we're about to rob you of 240,000 of your voters. If this bill had been law last November, Brad Lager would be the State Treasurer instead of Clint Zweifel and Mike Gibbons would have defeated Chris Koster.

To read the rest of the article click here . .

Keep Sending Your Calls & Emails to the Elections Committee!

In an effort to keep HJR 9 from being voted out of the House Elections Committee and from going to the House floor, we encourage you to continue your calls and emails to state legislators AND House Elections Committee leadership.

Your hard work and calls have made a difference over the past 4 weeks! Call Representative Deeken and his Vice Chair, Representative John Diehl today! Speak with them, leave them voicemails, email them or write them letters. A news release that we sent to media statewide about this harmful resolution may be found below to help you explain why HJR 9 is BAD news for Missouri voters. Contact information is below.

CHAIRMAN BILL DEEKEN

Capitol Building Room 400, Jefferson City, MO 65101

Phone: (573) 751-24 12

Email: Bill.Deeken@house.mo.gov

Fax: (573) 526-9774

VICE CHAIRMAN JOHN DIEHL

Capitol Building, Room 201C, Jefferson City, MO 65101

Phone: (573) 751-544

Email: John.Diehl@house.mo.gov

Fax: (573) 526-0947

HJR 9 Tabled After Cox Fails to Get His Paperwork Together

The House Elections Committee met this morning at 8 a.m. to vote on 7 bills including HJR 9, the photo ID bill, out of committee.

However, HJR 9 sponsor, Rep. Stanley Cox, offered an unexpected substitute which would place very specific language into the state constitution to implement photo ID. Although he tried to sneak this revised, restrictive language into his constitutional amendment, he FAILED TO CIRCULATE THE SUBSTITUTION TO THE REST OF THE COMMITTEE.

It would appear that Cox was trying to slip these major developments right past the noses of his fellow committee members but several members raised a point of order and Rep. Cox agreed NOT to hold executive session on HJR 9 this week in lieu of him getting the overly restrictive measure passed sometime in the future. We can assume the next House Elections Hearing will be after legislative spring break on Tuesday March 24, 2009.

We now know that Rep. Stanley Cox wants to not only weaken the Missouri State Constitution and its protections for eligible voters, but he wants to place an unprecedented amount of directions and rules into the constitution to make his life easier so that he won’t have to bother with enabling legislation if HJR 9 were to actually pass. More to come . . .

Photo ID is too costly to MO Voters & to State

 

House Elections Committee Preparing to Vote Yet Again on

Restrictive Government-Issued Photo ID legislation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday March 9, 2009

Contact: Missourians for Fair Elections, Bob Quinn 573-690-2440

Jefferson City, MO – Three years after the Missouri Supreme Court struck down a government-issued photo ID requirement to vote as unconstitutional, the Missouri House Elections Committee, chaired by Representative Bill Deeken (R-114), is set to vote again on unnecessary and costly photo ID legislation at 8:00AM, Tuesday, March 10, in Hearing Room 5.

“Over the past several years, tens of thousands of Missourians have already lost their jobs and their healthcare; but committee leadership wants them to lose their constitutional right to vote too,” said Bob Quinn, a spokesman for the Missourians for Fair Elections coalition. “It is disturbing that their legislative priority is to push forth restrictive measures that make it harder for people to vote, instead of working on solving the real challenges that Missouri families currently face.”

Even in the midst of a national economic crisis, hundreds of thousands of Missourians without healthcare and unemployment rates at a 25 year high, the Missouri legislature continues to push this unnecessary and expensive legislation. Past fiscal notes for the cost of government-issued photo ID legislation had a price tag to the state of nearly $6 million. Missourians like Lillie Lewis who do not already have a government-issued photo ID, will have to spend money and hours of their time searching for underlying documents like missing birth certificates.

HJR 9, proposed by Stanley Cox (R-118), would require every eligible Missouri voter to provide government-issued photo ID in order to vote. Research showed last year that this requirement could disenfranchise up to 240,000 eligible citizens, including 90,000 rural residents and 50,000 elderly Missourians. Last year when this issue was proposed, over 4,200 Missourians from across the state called their legislators in opposition to the bill.

Fighting for the thousands of Missourians who would be disenfranchised by this proposal and realizing the tremendous cost to Missouri taxpayers, the Missourians for Fair Elections coalition will again make sure the stories of Missourians who would lose their right vote are heard. The coalition continues to encourage calls to Chairman Deeken and the rest of the House Elections committee to NOT move photo ID legislation out of committee.

To learn more about this issue and how it would impact Missourians, visit www.MoFairElections.org

--30--

Rosenbaum Highlights Unpopularity of Photo ID

On Monday, Jason Rosenbaum, blogger for Capitol Calling polled the following question:

Will the Missouri legislature pass a ballot item this year paving the way for a photo identification requirement?

62% of voters on the poll so far believe that their legislators will not put photo ID on the ballot.
We couldn't agree more - Missourians don't want it and the state can't afford it. The House Elections Committee should kill HJR 9 in committee this week.

Your Calls Helped! NO Vote on HJR 9 this Morning

The House Elections Committee met for two hours this morning to hear three bills unrelated to HJR 9 and adjourned without going into executive session.  This is a positive development after spending the past two weeks monitoring the movement of HJR 9 in its initial hearing stages.

Kudos to Chairman Bill Deeken for not advancing this regressive bill.  To all of you who made calls, emails and visited legislators, THANK YOU.  Stay tuned for any further information.  We continue to encourage you to make contact with the House Elections committee to make sure the bill stays where it belongs . . .6 feet under.

Show Me Progress helping to round up witnesses for Tuesday's hearing

From ShowMeProgress.com:

Voter I.D. propagandists never say die. HJR 9, which would affect some 240,000 Missourians currently registered to vote, will be headed for the ballot as a constitutional amendment if the Republicans have their way in the legislature. And that's not something that Governor Nixon has any veto power over.

It needs to be stopped now, smothered in committee next Tuesday. And the way to do that is with withering testimony from lots of people who would be affected if the Republican initiative were to succeed. Those who are working to stop HJR 9 need to find those people.

Are you one of them or do you know someone who does not have state issued I.D.? We're talking mainly people who don't have drivers licenses. Time is of the essence. If you can provide the name of someone who might be willing to testify next Tuesday, please contact Eileen at: ehevans [at] sbcglobal dot net. (Excuse the weird format of the e-mail address. I'm trying to spare Eileen being caught up by spam software searching the internet for e-mail addresses.)

Organizations Against Photo ID Outnumber Proponents . . . Big Time

The House Committee on Elections, led by Jefferson City State Representative Bill Deeken (R-114), heard testimony for and against Photo ID on Monday morning. It came as no surprise that those testifying in support of Photo ID were greatly outnumbered.

Testifying in Support of Photo ID were Rob Hess an Attorney known to work for the Missouri GOP and Janet Ingelbach a spokesperson for the Eagle Forum.

Meanwhile, OPPONENTS OUTNUMBERED the other side 5 to 1! Those testifying in strong opposition of HJR 9 included:

AARP, ACLU, Advancement Project, Disability Vote Project, League of Women Voters, MASW, MNEA, Paraquad, Secretary of State’s Office, Services for Independent Living and The Whole Person

Clearly, photo ID is NOT what Missouri wants or needs. Stay tuned, as the fight isn’t over. Chairman Deeken cut off testimony on HJR 9 to hear other bills BUT will probably hold an executive session to vote on HJR 9 next week.

Restrictive Photo ID Proposal is Back in 2009

Hearing on HJR 9 - Photo ID
8am 2/17/09, Hearing Room 5
Jefferson City, Missouri

Apparently our legislators didn't get the message. Last year, over 4,200 Missourians from across the state called their legislators, urging them to not pass a restrictive and unnecessary requirement for government-issued photo identification at the polls. Research showed this requirement could disenfranchise up to 240,000 eligible citizens, including 90,000 rural residents and 50,000 elderly Missourians.

Many of these people told their stories, including Lillie Lewis who tried for years to get her birth certificate from Mississippi, only to be told the court house had burnt down and they had no record of her birth. Birdie Owens, who moved to Missouri after Hurrican Katrina, lost the required documents during the destruction and her move. Religious groups raised concerns, including the American Jewish Committee and the Sisters of Mercy. One nun surveyed her sisters in a St. Louis convent and reported only 15 of 35 would have the required documentation to vote.

Despite the thousands of Missourians who would be disenfranchised by this proposal, it has been filed again this year and will have a hearing this TUESDAY MORNING AT 8 AM. The Missourians for Fair Elections coalition will again make sure the stories of the real people who would loose their right vote vote are heard.

Please contact mofairelections@gmail.com if you would like to attend the hearing, tell your story or that of a loved one, or contact your legislator.

Those without photo ID generally are women, the elderly or the poor. We have enough bureaucracy. Heaping on one more barrier, or making the system even more prohibitive for some, smacks of political gamesmanship. ...Let’s get down to taking care of problems that are real.

In our view: Photo ID not needed,” The Joplin Globe, May 15, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: mofairelections@gmail.com

Proposed Photo ID Legislation Failed
Constitutional Change to Restrict Voting Rights Faced
Groundswell of Opposition from Across the State

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – In a victory for all voters, Missouri lawmakers ended this year’s legislative session without a final vote on legislation that could have prevented up to 240,000 Missourians from voting. The proposed change would have altered Missouri’s constitution, allowing for strict citizenship and government-issued photo ID requirements that would make Missouri one of the toughest states in the country for eligible, law-abiding citizens to register to vote or cast a ballot.

“I am relieved that I will be able to vote this fall,” said Lillie Lewis, a St. Louis city resident, “I’ve been voting in every election since I can remember, but if I needed my birth certificate, that would be the end of that. I hope this is the last we hear of this nonsense.” Lillie Lewis was born in Mississippi, but the state sent her a letter stating they have no record of her birth.

Birdell Owen, a Missouri resident who was displaced by hurricane Katrina, also voiced her relief. “I should be able to participate in my democracy,” she said, “even if Louisiana can’t get me a copy of my birth certificate. I’m glad Missouri politicians had the sense to protect my right to vote.”

As the bill began to move, a broad coalition of groups and voters across the state worked to educate citizens and legislators about the negative impact of such policy changes on real voters. Missourians for Fair Elections reports over 4,200 calls were made to lawmakers in the past two weeks urging them to not consider this legislation. Catholic organizations, such as the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Mary, and the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas issued statements voicing deep concerns with the legislation. The AARP, League of Women Voters, labor organizations, disability advocates, community organizations and progressive leaders worked around the clock for the past two weeks to make sure the concerns of Missouri voters were heard.

In 2006, despite serious opposition from voting rights experts, election officials and voters, the Missouri legislature passed an overly-restrictive photo ID measure that was later found unconstitutional by the Missouri Supreme Court because it amounted to a poll tax and Missouri’s current identification requirements are sufficient. This year’s proposed legislation would have altered the constitution in an attempt to allow restrictive voting laws to pass constitutional muster. Such restrictive laws include government-issued photo ID and proof of citizenship requirements to register to vote and to vote.

Kathleen Weinschenk, of Columbia, Missouri, has been fighting to protect her right to vote, and that of others, since 2006. She has cerebral palsy, and doesn’t drive because of her disability. Without a birth certificate from Arkansas, she cannot get a Missouri photo ID. Kathleen is elated that the constitution will not be changed to prohibit her from voting. “Today, freedom rings,” she said.

# # #

Secretary Robin Caranahan Issues Response

Carnahan Statement on Legislature Not Passing Restrictive Voter Photo ID Legislative Proposal


Jefferson City, MO – Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan released the following statement on the legislative session ending without the passage of a restrictive proposal requiring voters to present a government-issued photo ID at the polls:

“This proposal not passing is a victory for voter’s rights. This debate has not been about having Missouri voters identify themselves at the polls. In Missouri, we already have common sense identification requirements in place. This debate has been about ensuring fair elections, and elections can not be fair if eligible voters are not allowed to make their voice heard on Election Day.

These past two weeks we heard from Missouri voters across the state that feared they would lose their right to vote because they don’t have a government-issued photo ID or a birth certificate, and I am glad the legislature didn’t put their right to vote at risk. The hard work of citizens and groups around this state who opposed this proposal played a key role in making sure this legislation was not passed.”

The Missouri Supreme Court stuck down a 2006 Voter Photo ID law in October of that year, citing that it placed too much of a burden on eligible Missourian’s constitutional right to vote.

2008 Legislative Session is CLOSED

HJR48 was never called for a final vote!

20 minutes left in the 2008 session

As Charles Jaco said on Channel 2 last night, 6pm is the "drop dead hour." What's done is done. What hasn't been called to the floor is dead.

For those of you sitting on the edge of your seats,
live Senate debate can be streamed here:

mms://chamber.senate.mo.gov/Senate%20Chamber
The link should open in Windows Media Player or other audio program.

Secretary Robin Caranahan and Missouri Voters Discuss Costly Effects of Possible Photo ID Law

2:30pm in Kansas City, MO:

Secretary of State Robin Carnahan joined a group of Missouri voters today at the AARP Office in Kansas City, Mo., to discuss the possible disenfranchisement of up to 240,000 Missourians if a proposed government Photo ID requirement for voting is rushed through the Missouri legislature later today. Some of those voters present lacked the necessary government issued Photo ID that would be required to vote.

“As Missouri's chief elections official, it's my job to ensure fair elections, and elections cannot be fair if eligible voters are not allowed to vote,” said Carnahan. “Many of the registered voters who do not have the type of government ID required also do not have copies of the documents needed to obtain a government ID in the first place – like a birth certificate. We know that getting copies of these can be costly, time consuming and sometimes impossible.”

Secretary Carnahan was joined by voters like Thomas Sweeny who is a World War II veteran. Mr. Sweeney, who was born in the mid-1920s, has not driven for the past several years and does not have a government issued photo ID. If this proposal were to become law, Mr. Sweeney would not be allowed to vote without a government issued photo ID.

In addition, Sister Corita Bussanmask of Operation Breakthrough in Kansas City was also there to express concerns because some of her fellow sisters and the mothers she works with could be affected. Reverend Rayfield Burns with Metropolitan Missionary Baptist and Reverend Spencer Barrett with Bethel AME also attended to express concerns with the proposal.

“It would be unacceptable for a voter to be denied the right to vote in America merely because an inefficient government bureaucracy can not provide a copy of a birth certificate to one of its citizens,” added Carnahan. “I urge the legislature to reject any proposal that could put the voting rights of up to 240,000 Missourians at risk.”

Sisters of Mercy Urge Missouri Lawmakers to Reject Proposed Photo ID Law

Members of the Missouri Catholic community have expressed grave
concerns that citizens in the state, including religious sisters, will be unjustly denied their right to vote if this misguided bill passes. The Sisters of Mercy released a public statement today:

“We are deeply concerned that legislation of this kind has severe unintended consequences that present substantial barriers for all citizens to exercise their political and moral responsibilities. We strongly urge all citizens in Missouri to contact their representatives and ask them to vote against this measure,” said Sr. Jane Hotstream, RSM, president of the St. Louis Regional Community of the Sisters of Mercy

How many people will be disenfranchised in your county?

If you ask voters who would be affected by Missouri's proposed ID law, this is not a partisan issue. While it is quickly spun as one in Jefferson City, HJR48 will impact voters from all areas of the state and prevent them from casting a ballot, regardless of which party they support.

Seniors from rural counties may have a particularly difficult time proving their citizenship, as it is shown that birth certificates were not always issued outside of big-city hospitals for several decades.

In 2006, the Missouri Secretary of State's office compared the DMV files with the voter registration files... and guess what? Almost 240,000 Missourians who are registered to vote do not have a state-issued photo ID.

To see a list of how many voters per county may be affected, click here:
http://www.sos.mo.gov/inc/RegVotersCountsByCounty.pdf

FOX 2 News: A Closer Look at Photo ID Proposal

Charles Jaco, for FOX 2 News:
"No place in the United States have we been able to find one single case of where an illegal has attempted to vote using fraudulent documents... most voter fraud cases involve absentee ballots.

...Let's face it. There are a lot of people, older people, who don't have birth certificates and certainly don't have passports. If they decide they are going to register to vote, maybe for the first time, they have no documents."


Watch the detailed coverage here by clicking on "Related Items: VIDEOS" in the sidebar:
http://www.myfoxstl.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=6553864&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.1.1

D'Antoni and Levine Radio show feature MO Photo ID

Politics and culture with Washington D.C- based reporter Art Levine and Tom D'Antoni Oregon-based writer and TV producer:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/tomandart

Major Newspapers From Across the State Weigh In

“Those without photo ID generally are women, the elderly or the poor. We have enough bureaucracy. Heaping on one more barrier, or making the system even more prohibitive for some, smacks of political gamesmanship. ...Let’s get down to taking care of problems that are real.”

In our view: Photo ID not needed,” The Joplin Globe, May 15, 2008

“A photo isn’t necessary to prove who you are. Missouri’s current voter ID law protects against voter fraud but it gives options for identifying yourself at the polls… The last two secretaries of state, [Robin] Carnahan and Matt Blunt, reported no instances of election fraud by persons impersonating legitimate voters. The real deception is being perpetrated by legislators, whose claims of fraud are driving what appears to be a political agenda.”

Voter ID laws have put a lock on the ballot box, The Kansas City Star, May 11, 2008

“The Constitution makes no exception for a “few” instances of disenfranchised voters. It says all who are eligible are entitled to vote.”

“Voter ID rules must preserve rights,” St. Joe News-Press, May 15, 2008

“...This law merely is an attempt to suppress the votes of poor, elderly and disabled Missourians who don’t have drivers licenses or state ID cards. [The voter ID bill] solves a problem that doesn’t exist and will deny the vote to many of the state’s least advantaged citizens. It’s the political equivalent of deliberately swerving a car to run over squirrels and turtles. Pure meanness.”

“Pure meanness,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 13, 2008

The research is clear: Strict requirements would disenfranchise Missourians

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a paper today analyzing who would be affected by the proposed changes to Missouri's Constitution. Read the paper here: http://www.cbpp.org/5-15-08citdoc.htm

"the estimated 238,000 Missourians who lack these documents would include:

• more than 90,000 rural residents;

• 70,000 low-income residents;

• 50,000 residents without a high school diploma;

• 50,000 elderly residents; and

• 40,000 African Americans."

from FiredUpMissouri.com:

Word to People in Wheelchairs: Sen. Loudon Thinks Because You Don’t Drive You are Lazy and You Shouldn’t be Allowed to Vote

Although there were many other worthy submissions of offensive quotes, the Heartless Quote of the Week goes to Senator John Loudon, hands down:

Republican Sen. John Loudon ridiculed concerns [voiced by nuns, elderly, disabled, student, poor and minority voters] that the photo ID requirement amounted to a tax on voters.

"The only thing taxing is you have to get off your duff and get an ID that's given away for free," Loudon said.

Yes, Loudon told that to Kathleen Weinschenk, who has cerebral palsy and doesn’t drive - and who wouldn’t be able to vote without a government-issued photo ID if the heartless GOP has their way.

Story Continued...

Thursday Press on Missouri's ongoing Voter ID battle

Joplin Globe: Photo ID not needed
http://www.joplinglobe.com/editorial/local_story_135202424.html?keyword=topstory


St. Joe News Press: Voter ID rules must preserve rights
http://www.stjoenews.net/news/2008/may/15/voter-id-rules-must-preserve-rights/?opinion


Hullabaloo’s Digby: Here We Go Again
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/here-we-go-again-by-digby-theres-big.html


Huffington Post: Missourians: Take Action Now or Lose Voting Rights, Dem Victory
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-levine/missourians-take-action-n_b_101830.html


Brad Blog: Thor Hearne and GOP Attempt to Rewrite Constitution to Allow Voter Disenfranchisement
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5988


P-D Political Fix: Updated: More Photo ID anyone?
http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2008/05/more-photo-id-anyone/


CDT Politics Blog: Scott: Implementing photo ID mandate in 2008 "impossible"
http://blogs.columbiatribune.com/politics/2008/05/scott_implementing_photo_id_ma.html


CDT: Photo ID compromise would delay effects until 2010
http://www.columbiatribune.com/2008/May/20080514News004.asp


KMOX: Special session threatened by governor
http://www.kmox.com/pages/2189845.php?


American Jewish Committee: AJC Deeply Concerned Over States Voter ID Initiatives
http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=849241&ct=5360873

HJR48 voted do pass in Senate Committee Hearing

Voters and advocacy groups from across the state testified today in the Senate Financial, Governmental Organizations and Elections committee.