By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Republican lawmakers in the Missouri General Assembly again are trying to require photo identification to cast a ballot.
State Sen. Dan Hegeman of Cosby added the voter photo ID in his election bill, attempting to craft language the courts will accept.
“The citizens of the state of Missouri have voted that in in a general referendum and yet we’ve been trying to come up with language that the courts will accept and so, once again, trying to put the photo ID provisions back in the statutes,” Hegeman tells St. Joseph Post.
The bill also would allow Missouri voters to drop the excuse to vote absentee. Current law requires voters to provide a reason they are voting early.
“If we’re going to have it out there, just let people vote early in that capacity, but with all the safeguards of the absentee voting system in place,” Hegeman says.
Hegeman says his bill allows voters to cast a provisional ballot if they forget their ID and provides a free photo ID to those who don’t have a driver’s license or other photo identification.
“We make a lot of provisions and actually that are already in law to provide a photo ID free of charge to people and allow them to have that ID to secure the process,” according to Hegeman. “And I think it’s just important at this time to secure the process even more and try to once again look at this photo ID process and move forward.”
Hegeman rejects any suggestion his bill will spark the controversy hounding Georgia voting law changes. Hegeman has heard the criticism from Democrats that Republicans simply want to suppress minority voters.
“It absolutely is not directed to suppress the population,” Hegeman asserts. “Like I say, some people could argue that it’s expansion of it by the no excuse absentee, but also greater security as well with the photo ID, which the citizens of the state of Missouri said they wanted.”
Hegeman insists voter photo ID is not aimed at minorities.
“I’m trying to walk a tightrope here to address concerns of access as well as provide election security and election integrity.”
Hegeman says his legislation, SB 282, also does away with the emergency voting provisions put into place last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.