HCS HJR 89 -- ELECTIONS

SPONSOR:  Dugger (Schoeller)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on Elections
by a vote of 7 to 3.

Upon voter approval, this proposed constitutional amendment
authorizes the General Assembly to enact provisions which:

(1)  Allow a qualified individual to vote in person in advance of
election day at all elections.  Advance voting may be permitted
from the third Saturday before the election until the first
Tuesday before the election excluding Sundays.  The voting may be
conducted at locations as necessary or desirable to balance
reasonable access to advance voting; accountability, integrity,
and security of the election; efficiency in the administration of
the election; and appropriate and responsible uses of public
funds and other resources.  Certain restrictions on the release
of voter identification information until after the regular
election are specified.  Advance voting cannot take place for any
election held on or before January 1, 2014, in order to allow
election authorities sufficient time to prepare.  These
provisions will not apply to absentee voting laws, and any law
that conflicts with these provisions will not be valid or
enforceable;

(2)  Allow a person seeking to vote in person in a public
election to be required to identify himself or herself and verify
his or her qualifications as a citizen of the United States and a
resident of Missouri by providing election officials with a form
of identification which may include requiring a valid government-
issued photo identification with certain exceptions; and

(3)  Allow different requirements for absentee voting when the
voter does not appear before the election authority.

If for any reason a portion, clause, or phrase of the resolution
is held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent
jurisdiction, the entire resolution will be invalid and of no
further force or effect.

FISCAL NOTE:  Estimated Net Effect on General Revenue Fund of an
income of $0 or a cost of More than $7,000,000 in FY 2013, an
income of $0 to a cost of Unknown in FY 2014, and an income of $0
to a cost of Unknown in FY 2015.  No impact on Other State Funds
in FY 2013, FY 2014, and FY 2015.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that the bill allows voters to choose
whether to have photo identification requirements to prevent
election fraud.

Testifying for the bill was Representative Schoeller.

OPPONENTS:  Those who oppose the bill say that the courts have
rejected this legislation on many occasions and that it
undermines the fundamental right to vote.  There is no real
problem with voter fraud in Missouri.

Testifying against the bill were Office of the Secretary of
State; ACLU of Eastern Missouri; Farilyn Hale, National Council
of Jewish Women; Denise Lieberman; and Joy Lieberman.

Missouri House of Representatives
Last Updated April 11, 2012 at 2:59 pm