Various Voter ID Bills Proposed in Legislature

Various voter ID bills are being proposed in the Missouri legislature that would require prospective voters to provide a government-issued photo ID before voting in an election. Five years ago, such a measure was ruled unconstitutional by the Missouri Supreme Court. Now, legislators are seeking to work around the ban.

One such measure, SJR 9, would bypass the Missouri Supreme Court by establishing a new Constitutional Amendment by voter referendum. If passed by the voters in the November, 2012 election, prospective voters would have to prove their citizenship with proper identification. Courts have frowned on such measures in the past, viewing them as amounting to a poll tax given the expenses required for getting a Missouri Driver's License.

Other measures in the House would tie it in with an early voting bill. HB 14 and HB 329, in the Missouri House, would require the government to provide a free state ID for low-income citizens as well as allow for early voting. This is an attempt to pass court scrutiny by eliminating the expense involved with getting a driver's license. Voters would still have to prove citizenship, residence, lawful identity, and name change by presenting relevant documents such as birth certificates. However, in 2006, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities did a study which showed that as many as 3 to 5 million US citizens do not have birth certificates. Most counties and health departments charge for sending birth certificate copies to people.