Jasper County Clerk: Joplin voters will not be turned away

The news that 10,000 Jasper County voting cards had been returned, primarily in the Joplin and Duquesne areas that had hit been hard by the May 22, 2011, tornado, quickly provided another campaign issue for Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and attorney general candidate Ed Martin, and offered another chance for CNN conservative commentator Dana Loesch and others to attack President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder.

As I noted earlier today, those who spoke out were attempting to gain political advantage on the backs of Joplin Tornado victims.

This is the lowdown on the Joplin/Jasper County voting situation, given to me directly moments ago by Jasper County Clerk Bonnie Earl:

"My office is required, by law, to send voter cards every two years. This was the year for us to do that. The post office, by law, cannot forward those cards. Yes, we have had other elections since the tornado, but this was the year we were to send the cards. It is the voter's responsibility to change their address. Voters will not be turned away if they don't have a new card. They must present one of the legally required forms of identification to vote."