Missouri House passes revamped voter photo ID plan

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Republican-led Missouri House on Monday passed a revamped version of a Missouri voter photo identification law that was gutted by the state Supreme Court.

The court in January permanently blocked a central provision of the 2016 requiring voters who lacked a photo ID to make a sworn statement in order to cast a regular, non-provisional ballot. In response, Republicans are trying to pass a new voter ID bill similar to the 2016 law but doesn't include the sworn statement provision the judges found objectionable.

House members voted 109-45 to pass the measure, which would give voters only two options, instead of three: either show a photo ID to cast a regular ballot or else cast a provisional ballot.

Provisional ballots would be counted if voters return to their polling places on the same day with a valid photo ID or if their signatures match the ones on file with election authorities.

To cast provisional ballots, voters would need to sign sworn affidavits that include their birth dates, addresses and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers, and that swear the information is correct.

The measure now moves to the state Senate.