By Antonio D. French
Filed Thursday, September 14, 2006 at 5:16 PM
BREAKING NEWS Labels: Breaking_News, Courts
A judge has just struck down Missouri's law requiring voters to present a photo ID before they can cast a ballot. A restraining order has been issued preventing the Secretary of State's office from implementing the requirement.
Developing...
UPDATE: Circuit Court Judge Richard G. Callahan today ruled the Missouri Voter Protection Act Unconstitutional, saying it "constitutes an impermissible additional qualification to vote in violation of Article VIII, Section 2 of the Missouri Constitution."
Callahan also said it represented an "undue burden to the fundamental right to vote," it violated the prohibition on interference with the "free exercise of the right of suffrage" and the requirement that "all elections shall be free and open", and by requiring payment of money to vote, it violated the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the state constitution.
A statement from the Secretary of State's office is expected soon. And check back later for an interview we did earlier today -- before the ruling -- with the new chair of the St. Louis City Board of Elections, Kimberley J. Mathis. We talked briefly about the photo ID law.
UPDATE 2: Fired Up! has a PDF of the ruling. Click here to view it.
UPDATE 3: Here's video from our interview earlier today with the new chair of the St. Louis City Board of Elections.
6 Comments:
From the Missouri Democratic Party:
Chalk one up for Democracy!
This afternoon, after months of public and legal debate, the Photo ID legislation passed by Matt Blunt and the Republican Legislature was ruled UNCONSTITUTIONAL. We are thrilled that the court ruled in favor of Democracy. However the decision could be appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court, so the best way to make sure that every vote gets counted is to continue the work with your friends, family and neighbors to get them a state-issued photo ID (a driver's license or non-driver's license).
The Missouri Democratic Party is committed to preserving every Missourian's right to vote, and this ruling is a great accomplishment in that effort.
Thank you,
The MDP Team
9/14/2006 7:01 PM
I am grateful to the plaintiffs for pursuing this case and to the court for its wisdom.
This law placed an onerous and unnecessary burden on the elderly.
We salute the court for insisting that elections are accessible to all of our citizens.
Brian Wahby
Chairman
City Democratic Central Committee
9/14/2006 7:32 PM
So, what did the legislature LEGALLY accomplish in the term?
9/14/2006 10:24 PM
--"So, what did the legislature LEGALLY accomplish in the term? "
They lifted campaign finnace limits so the can raise unlimmited amounts of money.
I think they named some things for Ronald Regan and other republicans.
Remember Republicans are not incompetent - they want government so weak that they can drownd it in the bath tub.
Every time they screw something up it make the whole system look bad.
9/15/2006 11:58 AM
The Mayor made a statement on his blog.
9/15/2006 12:15 PM
The purpose of the photo ID is to keep someone from voting at several locations for people who never vote. We know this happens because when, let's say, John Smith comes to vote unexpectedly, someone has already voted for him. If everyone had to prove who they were, this shouldn't happen.
Here is something no one is talking about... If the DOR in fact compared the 2 lists from the DOR and the SOS, then they know who the 100,000+ people are who lack ID's. It should be a simple matter of notifying them, but guess what? They don't exist. These are people who have moved out of the state or who used a different name when registering(marriage or something). Send them a postcard and see what happens to it. You will get them returned. I maintain the reason only a handful of Voter ID's have been made is because nearly everyone already has an ID.
This is not disenfranchising anyone but the operatives who vote many times.
How many people were going to leave their ID at home so they could make a point on election day and get on the news?
While I support and welcome the photo ID law, I am glad it has at least been postponed so proper training can be done.
9/15/2006 6:43 PM
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