JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missourians will decide this fall whether to amend the state Constitution to allow lawmakers to tighten voter ID requirements.
The House on Thursday approved a proposed constitutional amendment 110-39, one day after the Senate passed it on a 24-8 party-line vote. The measure will bypass the governor and go on the November ballot. Republicans have tried for more than a decade to require voters to show photo ID. They say that would prevent voter fraud, and they passed legislation earlier this year to institute the requirement.
Because the Missouri Supreme Court has ruled against such measures in the past, lawmakers asked voters to change the constitution to give the Legislature the power to require a photo ID to vote.
Democrats say such a requirement could disenfranchise thousands of voters who don’t have a driver’s license or other identifications.