Missouri voter ID law partially blocked News
Missouri voter ID law partially blocked

A judge for the Cole County Circuit Court of Missouri [official website] held [Order, text] Tuesday that the affidavit and advertisement requirements of the Missouri’s voter identification law were unconstitutional.

The law, HB 1631 [text], was passed in 2016 to require that voters present an acceptable form of ID at the voting ballot. The law provides several ID options, including drivers licenses, which are in the first class of options. The second class of options require more than one document to verify individual identification, as well as an affidavit stating that the individual did not possess an approved form of identification.

Senior Judge Richard Callahan acknowledged the reasonableness of enacting voter ID laws, saying: “the state has a legitimate interest in preserving the integrity of the election process and may adopt such protections as are reasonable, serve a compelling state interest, and are closely tailored to effectuate that interest.” He also acknowledged the reasonableness of requiring an affidavit with the second class of identifications, but held that the affidavit required under this law infringed on citizens’ rights to vote: “the affidavit plainly requires the voter to swear that they do not possess a form of personal identification approved for voting, while simultaneously presenting to the election authority a form of personal identification that is approved.”

The law also requires the Secretary of State to inform the public of the identification requirement, which the Secretary of State did via a state-wide media campaign, announcing availability of state-issued photo ID cards. Callahan said the advertisements were misleading and suggested that a photo ID was required to vote. He held that the no advertisements or publications are to be released that imply a photo ID is required to vote, nor that a photo ID is an acceptable form of ID without mentioning the other options which would also satisfy the ID requirement.