A Missouri House committee has passed legislation that would require voters to show a photo I-D at the polls. As Marshall Griffin reports from Jefferson City, the measure is similar to the one vetoed by Governor Jay Nixon last year.
Under the bill, anyone who tries to vote without producing a photo ID would instead be given a provisional ballot, which would be counted only if that voter’s identity is correctly verified. It passed on a straight party line vote, with every Republican on the committee voting “yes” and every Democrat voting “no.”
“At the end of the day when I show up to vote, I’m a voter," said House Speaker Pro-tem Shane Schoeller, the sponsor of the bill. "I may vote for a Republican and Democrat both when I go to vote, so to me I’m protecting the voter, I’m not protecting one party over another.”
Opponents say the bill could disenfranchise the elderly, disabled and poor. It has one more committee stop before moving to the House floor for debate.
