Advancement Project Urges Missouri Legislators to Reject Photo ID Measure
February 16, 2010
Senior Attorney Denise Lieberman submitted written testimony last week to the Missouri House of Representatives’ Elections Committee in advance of its consideration of a controversial photo ID resolution.
In the testimony, Lieberman opposed HCS HJR 64, which proposes to amend the Missouri constitution to impose a restrictive photo identification requirement on all voters. If passed, the measure would likely disenfranchise more than 200,000 eligible Missouri voters.
Lieberman testified that HJR 64, the legislature’s fourth attempt to impose such a restrictive law, has been promoted ostensibly to prevent voter fraud. However, there is no evidence of a voter fraud problem in Missouri and no cases of voter impersonation fraud have been identified in the state. Lieberman called the measure “a needless political ploy to play on phantom fears of voter fraud to justify disenfranchising the most vulnerable among us.” In hearings before the House Elections Committee last week, legislators acknowledged the lack of any evidence of voter fraud.
The proposal would require voters to produce a specific kind of state or federally issued current photo ID at the polls to vote. In addition, it would exclude college ID, a driver’s license from another state, a voter identification card, a bank statement, a utility bill or other forms of identification that can effectively verify a voter’s identity from the list of acceptable IDs.
The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that a similar photo ID requirement was unconstitutional in 2006, finding that it posed a “‘substantial burden on Missourians’ free exercise of the right of suffrage,’” Lieberman told the legislators.
Last year, the Missouri secretary of state found that an identical measure could disenfranchise up to 230,000 registered Missouri voters who do not have the photo ID that would be required. HJR 64 would also have a disproportionate impact on the voting rights of the poor, elderly, people with disabilities and people of color, Lieberman said.
In addition to Advancement Project, the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office testified against the measure, as did the Missouri Association for Social Welfare; Service Employees International Union; Missouri National Education Association; American Civil Liberties Union; American Association of Retired Persons, and Missouri Immigrant & Refugee Advocates.
Attached files
- Full Testimony (585.70KB PDF)
Filed under Testimony, Voter Identification, Voter Protection, Missouri
