Proposed state voter ID bill targets fraud

Sen. Delbert Scott’s voter identification bill might be well intentioned, but good intentions sometimes “get made into bad laws,” Boone County Clerk Wendy Noren said.

Scott, R-Lowry City, introduced the Missouri Voter Protection Act, SB 1014, in February, citing widespread voter fraud. Scott said the voter registration of 29 rural counties exceeds the number of people over age 18 in those counties.

“I think it’s very well intentioned,” Noren said. “They really believe there are roaming bands of people out there doing this, but those of us who have spent our lives studying this know it’s not true.”

Scott admits it is difficult to track voter fraud at the polls, but added that it is easy to track voter registration fraud. “Why would someone go through the trouble of getting a fraudulent registration if they weren’t going to use it?” he asked.

In compliance with the Help America Vote Act, the Secretary of State’s office is establishing a statewide computerized voter registration database.

“If there are fraudulent ballots cast, it might cancel out my vote,” Noren said. “But there isn’t much difference between people committing fraud and people being disenfranchised.”

Noren said Scott’s bill disenfranchises a myriad of voters — from students who use school IDs to vote to victims of wallet theft — but her greatest concern is the elderly and disabled demographic.

Scott recognizes opponents’ concern for senior citizens and has added a pending amendment that would exempt anyone 70 years or older or with disabilities. If voting without an ID, these citizens could use the affidavit process to cast a provisional ballot. Senate Bill 1001, already passed through the legislature, exempts citizens 65 or older from having a birth certificate in order to secure a state-issued driver’s license. Scott said he plans to amend SB 1014, too, to pay for birth certificates for anyone 70 or older.

Secretary of State Robin Carnahan’s office says the proposed amendment won’t completely fix the bill.

“Secretary Carnahan believes that while that’s a step in the right direction, it’s a superficial solution to fixing the underlying problems with the photo identification bill as it’s been presented in Missouri,” spokesperson Mike Seitz said. “It doesn’t address the fact that the bill would still get in the way of a lot of people’s right to vote. It would still be a significant burden to those people who aren’t 70.”

Seitz said that the state should keep voting procedures consistent for all age groups.

Noren is also concerned about the fiscal repercussions of the bill. Seitz said the cost of the IDs isn’t all the state will have to fund. Educating voters on the new bill will also cost the state money.

“It’s a lot to expect that nearly 200,000 people will have time to go out and get approved identification before the next federal election,” Seitz said.

Noren said the state should concentrate on better uses for the money.

“They’re going to cut something else (to pay for this),” Noren said. “We have disabled people who can’t afford a caretaker because that was cut.”

On Feb. 16, Carnahan unveiled alternate plans geared toward higher penalties for voter fraud. Calling for an increase in “commonsense measures,” Carnahan introduced several acts sponsored by various representatives and senators aimed at allowing greater incentives for poll workers, early voting without excuse and greater oversight for voter registration organizers. Allowing more opportunities for early voting would reduce the chance to cheat by reducing long lines on Election Day, Carnahan said.

Both Carnahan and Noren have said the broad range of IDs required by Missouri now are enough.

Scott stands by his proposal.

“The bill has been very positively received from the general public who realizes that there is cheating going on,” Scott said. “Most county clerks do an excellent job of having a fair election. This is certainly not a reflection of the clerks, but the Democratic Party particularly has opposed this. The folks on the street are very supportive. The general public has high expectations that this is going to solve a lot of voter problems.”

If approved by the Republican-controlled Senate and signed by Gov. Matt Blunt, the bill will be effective Aug. 28.