A second lawsuit filed Aug. 24 challenges an anti-voter law (HB1878) set to take effect Aug. 28 across Missouri. The League of Women Voters of Missouri, a plaintiff in this suit and one filed Aug. 22, says the new law violates the right to core political speech by their staff and volunteers and disenfranchises thousands of Missouri citizens who do not have the required type of photo ID. The NAACP in Missouri joins the League in the suit.
“We are proud of our members’ essential voter registration and education work across the state,” said LWVMO President Marilyn McLeod. “This law criminalizes work we do regularly and, ultimately, harms Missouri voters who rely on the League’s work to ensure their voices are heard at the ballot box.”
McLeod says the new law’s strict ID requirement will force many students, seniors, non-drivers, and people with disabilities to use a provisional ballot which won’t count without a signature match.
HB1878 requires citizens to show a non-expired state-issued photo ID, U.S. passport or military ID to vote. State records from 2017 showed that more than 275,000 registered voters in Missouri did not have this kind of identification.
Voters in past elections, including the Aug. 2 primary, were able to use several other forms of identification, including a voter ID card issued by an election authority, student ID, or recently-expired driver’s license or state ID. The League has won previous lawsuits challenging strict photo ID requirements as violations of the Missouri Constitution.
Plaintiffs also include three individuals who would not be permitted to vote a regular ballot in future elections due to HB1878’s ID requirements. Representing the plaintiffs are the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition.
On Aug. 22, the League and the Missouri National Association for the Advancement of Colored People filed suit on the voter registration and absentee ballot provisions stipulated by the new HB1878 law. See more about this lawsuit and the League in our previous post.