State House tries again to require photo ID to vote

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri House lawmakers on Thursday voted again to require photo identification at the polls, a longstanding GOP goal that's been thwarted by the courts.

House members voted 96-47 on mostly party lines to pass the legislation. Representatives sent a similar bill to the Senate last month.

Republican supporters say photo identification makes voting more secure and would instill trust in elections. Democrats argue photo IDs only prevent voter impersonation, which they say is not an issue.

Missouri voters in 2016 amended the Constitution to allow lawmakers to require photo identification to vote. But the Missouri Supreme Court in 2020 permanently blocked a central provision of the 2016 law that required voters who lacked a photo ID to make a sworn statement in order to cast a regular, non-provisional ballot.

In response, Republicans have been trying to pass a new voter ID bill similar to the 2016 law but that doesn't include the sworn statement provision the judges found objectionable.

The proposal advanced Tuesday allows voters to cast a provisional ballot if they don't provide valid photo identification.

Valid forms of photo ID under the bill would include nonexpired driver's licenses, nondriver's licenses, or another government-issued photo ID.