Bill sponsor, secretary of state differ on voter ID cards bill

Jefferson City — Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan told protestors gathered at the Capitol on Wednesday that a proposed bill requiring voters to present a federal or state voting identification card could keep citizens out of the polls.

“It’s a bill that I think could risk disenfranchising up to 200,000 Missourians,” Carnahan said in the Capitol’s rotunda.

These 200,000 people affected could include senior citizens, the disabled and some students, Carnahan said.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Delbert Scott, said otherwise. “That’s absurd,” he said.

Legislation proponents argue the measure would crack down on voter fraud.

According to Scott, 95 percent of Missourians already have driver’s licenses and wouldn’t need to get any other form of identification to vote.

“You wouldn’t have to have two pieces of paper (one to vote and one to drive),” Scott said. “The last thing I want is another piece of plastic in my pocket.”

Carnahan said under the proposal’s wording that using student IDs, voter registration cards, military IDs, passports and other forms of identification would not be good enough for voters to identify themselves.

Scott said military IDs could be used to vote under the legislation.

According to Scott, a change was made in the proposed bill that would reclassify voter registration cards as voter notification cards. These notification cards would be mailed every two years to tell voters where to vote. This would be one way to keep voter rolls clear, he said.

Scott also said anyone could still vote absentee, but they would have to have the ballot notarized.

Disabled people and those who do not want to carry a photo ID for religious reasons are allowed to use an affidavit to vote, Scott added.

Although the bill requires that all voters have a photo ID, “the affidavit option would supersede the requirement that you would have to show up the same day (with a photo ID),” Scott said.

“(The) majority of people in nursing homes are not going to vote,” said Scott, “and those that are going to, are going to vote absentee.”

Scott said that one of the amendments being proposed to the bill is directed at people older than 70. If passed, the bill would allow older people to sign an affidavit to verify their identity. This would allow them to vote with a provisional ballot.

Carnahan said that if the bill passes and goes into effect in August voters would not have much time before November’s election to comply.

“They’re suggesting in two months there would be enough time to let (voters) know about this, go out and find who these people are and get them photo ID-ed and get to be certified (before the November elections)?” Carnahan said.

“We realize that’s tight, but we’re willing to marshal whatever forces we can,” said Scott. “You can start identifying people before that time.”