Voting IDs

Missouri's new law requiring voters to have photo identification when they go to the polls has some potential voters concerned, but it appears there are solutions to most problems being raised.

A call from an elderly Cape Girardeau County voters several days ago raised some valid concerns. The caller was in his 80s and responsible for the care of a wife who has dementia and can't be left alone. The caller said he had voted in every election since 1942. The caller's driver's license, his only photo ID, was revoked last year because he is no longer able to drive a vehicle safely. How, he asked, is someone in his situation supposed to obtain a photo ID?

In some cases, voters in such a predicament will be able to take advantage of mobile units that are scheduling visits to some of the state's nursing home and other facilities frequented by the elderly.

But one simple answer for someone who is practically homebound is to vote by absentee ballot. A call to the county clerk's office in any Missouri county will start the process. The clerk's office must receive applications for absentee ballots by Aug. 2 for the Aug. 8 primary and by Nov. 1 for the Nov. 7 general election. Walk-ins my cast absentee ballots in person up to one day before either election. The absentee ballots in Cape Girardeau County are available at either the county clerk's office in Jackson in Barton Square or at the courthouse annex at 44 N. Lorimier St. in Cape Girardeau.

Even with options like absentee voting, most Missouri voters will still need photo IDs by the time the November election rolls around. Those who need to renew their driver's licenses will find they must have certain documents -- such as a birth certificate, passport or naturalization papers -- to do so. Those without driver's licenses need to plan ahead to obtain the required documentation for a photo ID.

To obtain a photo ID, you must:

Show who you are (Social Security card, Medicare card, U.S. passport).

Show you're a U.S. citizen (birth certificate, U.S. passport, naturalization documents).

Show where you live (utility bill, voter registration card, government or paycheck stub, property-tax receipt).

The aim of the photo ID requirement for voters is to minimize fraud on Election Day. It's a good law, but it requires some Missourians, mainly those without driver's licenses, to act now in order to have proper identification in time for the November election.