Washington Missouri - County Clerk 'Thrilled' With Voter I.D. Law Ruling

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County Clerk 'Thrilled' With Voter I.D. Law Ruling

By Sarah Wienke

10/18/2006

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Franklin County Clerk Debbie Door is "thrilled" with the Missouri Supreme Court's decision to strike down the voter identification law. The ruling, made Monday, comes just weeks before the Nov. 7 general election.

"I'm glad the decision has been made," Door said. "It will be easier to inform voters what to do."

Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan also was pleased with the ruling.

"Today's ruling is a victory for Missouri voters," Carnahan said Monday. "The Supreme Court's decision to uphold Judge Callahan's ruling provides absolute clarity that the photo ID law is unconstitutional and thus will not go into effect in Missouri."

The law, Senate Bill 1014, required voters to present a photo identification card issued by Missouri or the federal government to cast a ballot.

If the court had ruled in favor of the law, it would have been mandatory for voters to show their IDs this November.

That could have wreaked havoc for county election officials with limited time to inform voters and train the election judges.

"It (could have) made things awkward this late in the game," Door noted.

A variety of documents will continue to be accepted as identification. Those documents include a passport, driver's license, utility bill, bank statement or government paycheck.

The white voter notification cards Door's office sends out also can be used as proper identification.

Last month, a Cole County judge ruled that the ID requirement was unconstitutional because it would prevent some Missourians from exercising their fundamental right to vote, especially the poor, elderly and disabled who may not have a driver's license.

The Missouri Supreme Court supported that ruling, stating that the requirement violated several provisions in the state Constitution.

This ruling may not spell the end of the fight to impose a photo ID requirement in Missouri.

Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill called the Federal Election Integrity Act that would require Americans to show proof of citizenship in order to vote. That version of a photo ID plan is part of the federal government's broader border security policy.

Other states also are in the midst of voter identification challenges.

The Arizona state attorney general petitioned the Supreme Court to allow it to require photo IDs during the election. In Georgia, a judge ruled against a version of that state's photo ID requirement because it was unconstitutional.

Only two states, Florida and Indiana, require that all voters show a photo ID at the polls.

©Washington Missouri 2010

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Added: Friday October 20, 2006 at 07:37 PM EST

What a Victory for Democracy!!

It's about time they cleared up this controversy. Who are they to question my identity. I should be allowed to vote as often as I want to, anywhere I want to. Vote early, and vote often I always say.

Frank Craig III, Union

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