Missouri judge clarifies ruling on voter photo ID law

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri judge Tuesday made clear local election workers cannot enforce a core requirement in a new voter photo identification law, taking away the teeth of the law in advance of a marquee U.S. Senate election Nov. 6.

At issue is a new law that had directed voters to present a valid photo ID or sign a sworn statement and present some other form of identification in order to cast a regular ballot.

Senior Cole County Circuit Judge Richard Callahan earlier this month struck down the requirement voters without proper photo ID sign a sworn statement.

But Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who supports a photo ID law, said the ruling caused "mass confusion" just weeks before the pivotal election between Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill and her Republican rival, Attorney General Josh Hawley.

Ashcroft had said that's because Callahan's initial ruling directed "the state" not to require a sworn statement from voters without proper ID. But Ashcroft said enforcing that requirement was local election workers' responsibility.

Callahan on Tuesday responded by clarifying his judgment "applies to all persons who act in concert and participation with the Secretary of State and the State of Missouri in administering and certifying elections within the State of Missouri, including local election authorities."

Ashcroft in a statement said he's concerned Callahan's ruling "thwarted the clear desire of Missourians to secure their elections."

"Today, a mere two weeks from the November 2018 mid-term election, Senior Judge Richard Callahan has eviscerated Missouri's photo ID law as crafted by the state legislature," Ashcroft said in a statement. "Somehow, while holding the law constitutional, Judge Callahan has prohibited the enforcement of the law for the upcoming election."

Strategist Symone Sanders of Priorities USA, a Washington-based liberal advocacy group that sued on behalf of some Missouri voters, in a statement said Callahan's decision is "an important victory for voting rights that will ensure that future elections in Missouri are open and accessible to every eligible voter."

American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri legal director Tony Rothert in a statement said it "provided needed clarity to local election officials."