For Missouri voters, you better have proof you're American
The battle of voter identification may get nastier. Now, lawmakers in Missouri are expected to support a proposed constitutional amendment to enable election officials to require proof of citizenship from anyone registering to vote, according to the New York Times. This would allow even stricter demands than the current voter ID requirements, in which voters have to prove their identity with a government-issued card. NYT:
"Sponsors of the amendment — which requires the approval of voters to go into effect, possibly in an August referendum — say it is part of an effort to prevent illegal immigrants from affecting the political process. Critics say the measure could lead to the disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of legal residents who would find it difficult to prove their citizenship.Voting experts say the Missouri amendment represents the next logical step for those who have supported stronger voter ID requirements and the next battleground in how elections are conducted."
While similar measures requiring proof of citizenship are under consideration in at least 19 state legislatures, including Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma and South Carolina, its only in Missouri that this requirement has a chance of taking effect before the presidential election.
Such an act could reduce voter fraud, but the more obvious implication is that it could disenfranchise many voters
Read more here.
missouri, voter identification, presidential election
