Engler: Voter ID bill will protect integrity of elections

Sen. Kevin Engler, R-Farmington, says the Voted ID bill, which passed the Senate this week, will protect the integrity of Missouri elections. From his weekly report:

The Senate gave initial approval on legislation to help prevent fraud at the polls and protect the integrity of our elections. Senate Joint Resolution 2 is a constitutional amendment which, if approved by voters, would require voters to show a photo I.D. to vote. Senate Bill 3 lays out some of the specifics of the measure, including provisions for situations when a person cannot obtain or afford a government issued photo I.D.

I sponsored a similar constitutional amendment this year, and I remain supportive of making sure that our system of voting is protected from fraud. There were concerns over the legislation, with some members wanting to make sure we were not disenfranchising honest voters. Senate Bill 3 contains provisions for those unable to obtain a photo I.D. because of a disability, an inability to pay for or obtain a document necessary to obtain a photo I.D., or a religious belief against forms of identification. The measure would also address instances when the voter was born before Jan. 1, 1941, or had his or her license confiscated after an arrest. In these situations, the voter would be able to vote using a provisional ballot, provided the election authority can verify the identity of the individual by comparing the individual's signature to the signature on file with the election authority. With these provisions, we were able to work with members of the Senate that were opposed to the legislation and send the bill to the House.

As the chair of the Financial and Governmental Organizations and Elections Committee, I have also worked with my Senate colleagues on legislation to allow early voting in our state. This is a bipartisan effort on my part, but I am expecting the bill to face opposition. Currently, the state allows for absentee voting before the election for those individuals who have a legal reason, such as military service. We are working on legislation that would expand that to include anyone who wants to vote early. I would like to see it expanded to a few days prior to election day. Two-thirds of states—32 states and the District of Columbia—allow some form of early voting.