Barack Obama could be forced to prove citizenship to get on Missouri's ballot

A bill that would require all presidential candidates, including President Barack Obama, to prove their citizenship to Missouri's Secretary of State before getting placed on the state ballot was heard by the House Elections Committee Tuesday [March 1]. Former Secretary of State GOP candidate Mitch Hubbard said Missouri should check the federal government and enforce proof of citizenship. "Hawaii, during the years our president was born, issued short-form birth certificates to people who were born in Hawaii ... but because it had just recently become a state, they also issued short-form birth certificates to people who were not born in Hawaii, but who were living there as children at the time," Hubbard said. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Lyle Rowland, R-Cedar Creek. He said no one on the federal level is checking the Article II Constitutional qualifications of candidates. He said the Missouri Secretary of State should require presidential citizenship documents, like those required by candidates for other offices. Rep. Joe Fallert, D-Ste. Genevieve, said federal law under the Constitution already prevents unqualified citizens from running for president. "If federal law would say you have to be a citizen of the U.S. to do this, why do we have to double check?" Fallert asked. "I'm just curious because it's like we're a solution looking for a problem because federal law would preempt this already." Naturalized citizen Hector Maldonado was born in Mexico. He said when running for the U.S. Senate last year, he had to provide proof of citizenship to the Missouri Secretary of State, and thus wants presidential candidates to have to do the same. "This next coming election, if I choose to do so, I can run for U.S. President, and no one's going to stop me until I actually hold office ... but by then, it's too late," Maldonado said. House Elections Committee members said they do not know when the bill will be heard again.