Fri, Jul 04 2008
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Published May 11, 2008 09:36 pm - JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — As quick as a camera flash, Republican lawmakers have resurrected a plan to require photo identification for voters. They will press to pass it this week, lest their political opportunity to do so disappears. With only five days remaining in the 2008 legislative session, Republicans who control the House, Senate and Governor’s Mansion have come to realize that this may be their last, best chance to enact certain parts of their agenda. There is no guarantee Republicans will maintain their legislative majorities after the November elections. Missouri Republicans to push voter ID measure in Legislature The Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — As quick as a camera flash, Republican lawmakers have resurrected a plan to require photo identification for voters. They will press to pass it this week, lest their political opportunity to do so disappears. With only five days remaining in the 2008 legislative session, Republicans who control the House, Senate and Governor’s Mansion have come to realize that this may be their last, best chance to enact certain parts of their agenda. There is no guarantee Republicans will maintain their legislative majorities after the November elections. And there is even greater uncertainty about whether they can retain their grasp on the governor’s office. Should Democrats prevail, the voter photo ID requirement most likely would be dead. So don’t be surprised if Republicans take a do-or-die approach to enacting an election photo ID requirement before Friday’s mandatory 6 p.m. adjournment. Senate Republican leaders confirm it’s one of their highest priorities for the final week. It will mark their second attempt to enact the requirement. In 2006, after Democrats refused to stand down, Republican senators employed a seldom-used motion to shut off debate and pass a photo ID bill on the final day of the session. Republican House members followed suit, and Republican Gov. Matt Blunt signed it into law. That measure required voters to show a valid government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, passport or military card. Those lacking photo identification could get a free one from the state. But the Missouri Supreme Court struck down the photo ID requirement as an unconstitutional “heavy burden” on voting that was not justified by any actual instances of people trying to impersonate others at the ballot booth. The court declared Missouri’s constitutional entitlement to vote as even stronger than that in the U.S. Constitution. And like a poll tax, the court said, the 2006 law could essentially require some people to pay to vote. To get a copy of a Missouri birth certificate — needed to get a free photo ID — it costs $15. Republicans made little effort to revive their photo ID proposal until an April 29 U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding a similar photo ID requirement for Indiana voters. Even then, it seemed too late to take action in Missouri, sponsoring Rep. Stanley Cox, R-Sedalia, and the 2006 bill sponsor Sen. Delbert Scott, R-Lowry City, initially said. But that attitude quickly changed. By last Thursday, Cox’s voter ID proposal had cruised through two House committees, two rounds of House votes and moved to the Senate. Scott plans to pass the voter ID measure Monday out of the Senate elections committee he leads. Then it’s on to the Senate for the final showdown. 
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