We have many rights and freedoms as citizens of our great nation, but perhaps none more important than our right to participate in the democratic process by casting our vote. It is through the elections process that we choose our leaders who ultimately make the decisions that will decide the direction our state and our nation will take. However, even with the incredible importance of voting, it remains part of an elections system that is largely undefended and exposed to fraud and corruption.
Because we want every vote to count – for every citizen who legally votes to know his or her vote has the weight and importance it deserves – we believe it is imperative that we place a reasonable requirement in place that simply requires voters to prove that they are who they say they are before casting a vote. This requirement of a photo ID is something we live with each and every day without inconvenience. Whether it is cashing a check or boarding an airplane, we show our IDs to prove who we are on a regular basis without incident. Why should it be any different when we exercise one of our most sacred and fundamental rights?
This week in the House we approved two bills – one a proposed constitutional amendment and the other a statutory change – that would put in place a requirement that voters show photo identification before casting their ballots. This is a debate that has waged on for years as the legislature has revisited this topic numerous times. A voter ID bill was actually signed into law in 2006 but ultimately was struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court. This year’s plan would first give voters the opportunity to change the Missouri Constitution to allow a system of voter identification before then putting it into place with the statutory change.
To allay the concerns of opponents who say it is difficult for some to obtain a valid photo ID, the bill provides individuals without a government-issued photo ID with access to one free of charge. To prevent the requirement from being a barrier to those who cannot obtain an ID and those born before 1941 who may not have documentation such as a birth certificate, the bill would allow these Missourians to vote by provisional ballot. In combination these two provisions make a photo ID requirement make it simple to cast a vote while still preserving the integrity of the voting process.
This is a simple but important change and one I know the people of Missouri will support wholeheartedly. I am hopeful we will see both of these bills move quickly through the Senate so that voters will have the opportunity to place this constitutional change in place in November. If they do, it would then pave the way for the statutory change that would formalize a voter identification system here in Missouri.
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