A judge has struck down Missouri’s law requiring voters to present a photo ID before they can cast a ballot. A restraining order has been issued preventing the Secretary of State’s office from implementing the requirement.
Circuit Court Judge Richard G. Callahan ruled this week that the Missouri Voter Protection Act is Unconstitutional, saying it “constitutes an impermissible additional qualification to vote in violation of Article VIII, Section 2 of the Missouri Constitution.”
Callahan also said it represented an “undue burden to the fundamental right to vote,” it violated the prohibition on interference with the “free exercise of the right of suffrage” and the requirement that “all elections shall be free and open”, and by requiring payment of money to vote, it violated the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the state constitution.
Governor Matt Blunt is expected to seek an appeal. So stay tuned.
Here’s a video of the new election board chair, Kimberley Mathis. She was recently appointed by Blunt to preside over St. Louis City’s elections.
