KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Changes to election laws are a focal point across the country after November's general election, which broke turnout records despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The effort to change, and generally restrict, voting rights by many Republican lawmakers including several proposed bills in Missouri, where both the House of Representatives and Senate have measures up for consideration that have drawn GOP support and strong opposition from voting rights advocates.
Missouri House Bill No. 334, which has passed the House and awaits a hearing in the Senate, would require all absentee in-person voters to present a photo ID, eliminating any non-photo forms of identification. Only documents issued by Missouri, the U.S. federal government or the military would be accepted.
It also eliminates the Missouri Secretary of State’s requirement to inform the public of personal ID laws ahead of the election — generally through posts on state websites and through advertisements.
The law also would require anyone casting a provisional ballot to return to the polling location with a photo ID for their vote to be counted.
State Rep. Chris Sander — a Republican from Lone Jack representing the 33rd District, which includes parts of Cass, Jackson and Lafayette counties — co-sponsored House Bill No. 334. He said he is concerned about the voting process at polling places.
"In an area like Kansas City, there's actually multiple people with the same name that come in to vote, and I believe it's necessary for the workers in training and inside the polling place to have a photo, because multiple people have the same name and you can't tell who's who," Sander said.
He added, "If you have to ask someone 20 questions to make sure they are who they say they are because they brought in a document that has a name similar to four other people with the same name in your precinct, then it makes it difficult. I don't think it's unacceptable to require a photo."
Denise Lieberman, general counsel for the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, disagreed.
"Let's keep in mind that Missouri already requires all voters to show identification at the polls," she said. "What legislation like House Bill 334 would do is take away some of the forms of ID that people can currently show, including a voter registration card, the document that is sent by the election authority that verifies that you are registered to vote for that election."
She points to statement by GOP state officials after the November 2020 election as proof that current voter laws work and don't need to become more restrictive.
"After the November 2020 elections, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft touted how secure Missouri's elections have been, and this remains true today," Lieberman said. "The truth of the matter is that our lawmakers don't want certain segments of our population to vote, and that is fundamentally wrong. A democracy cannot exist if all people who are eligible to participate don't have a seat at the table."
Here is information about the other three bills pending before the Missouri legislature, including links to each bill's full text:
No-excuse absentee balloting would be permitted for all Missouri residents, if this law were passed. However, the proposal would move the start of absentee voting from six weeks before the election to the third Tuesday before the election. All ballots would have to be received before polls close on Election Day.
The law also would mandate a photo ID issued by Missouri, the federal government or the military be presented for a ballot to count. Any absentee ballots not cast after showing a photo ID in person at the local election authority would have to be notarized, except in narrowly defined circumstances.
The law also prohibits non-governmental entities from paying individuals to soliciting voter registration applications, prohibits signature gathering within 50 feet of a polling place and would require declared caretakers of an incapacitated or confined person to live at the same residence as the person to be eligible for certain absentee voting.
Under this law, the Missouri Secretary of State would be permitted to audit any election authority’s voter roles for accuracy by providing at least five days’ notice and demand that voters who have died, moved or are ineligible to vote be removed.
A second audit to confirm the removal also would be permitted. Failure to comply could result in the Secretary of State’s office withholding election funds. The law also would prohibit amending or modifying the election law within six months of a presidential election.
The law also would forbid electronic vote-counting and require “a paper ballot that is hand-marked by the voter,” effective Jan. 1, 2022. It would impose similar photo ID requirements to the bills outlined above.
No-excuse absentee balloting would be permitted for all Missouri residents, if this law were passed. However, the proposal would move the start of absentee voting from six weeks before the election to the third Tuesday before the election.
Any absentee ballots not cast after showing a photo ID in person at the local election authority would have to be notarized, except in narrowly defined circumstances.
Electronic voting systems in the state would be required to provide paper ballots for voter verification.
