The Missouri House Pushes For Voter ID Requirement Again

Voting is one of the hallmarks of democracy.  You have the right, once you turn 18 to register to vote in our nations elections.  You can vote for a major party candidate or write in a candidate.  In the last Presidential election there were over 158 million people exercising their right to do just that.  The most votes cast in the history of our country.

With the pandemic raging, many states, allowed for mail in voting, or gave people the option to ask for one if they felt unsafe going to a public place.  Some states had this in place already.  I was registered to vote in Illinois at the time, and since I did not receive my mail in ballot, I went to a polling place, gave my name and showed my drivers license, was given a ballot, and I voted.

Missouri voters in 2016 amended the Constitution to allow lawmakers to require photo identification to vote. But the Missouri Supreme Court in 2020 permanently blocked a central provision of the 2016 law that required voters who lacked a photo ID to make a sworn statement in order to cast a regular, non-provisional ballot.  The GOP-led House has advanced a bill to make it a requirement to have a photo ID in order to vote.  Valid forms of photo ID under the bill would include nonexpired driver’s licenses, nondriver’s licenses, or another government-issued photo ID.

You can click HERE for more information on this bill.  Personally I would love to see election day as a National holiday.  We should be making it easier to vote, instead of making it harder.  I also do not think that asking for a photo ID is unreasonable.  In this day and age, most people have a drivers license, state ID, student ID, or even a FOID card.  If this bill becomes a law, and you don't have a photo ID, you may not be able to vote in the state of Missouri.  So carve out some time to get yourself a valid, state issued, form of identification and make sure your voice is heard in the Midterm elections that will be taking place this November.  It is your right to have your voice heard.