Missouri: voter I.D. bill debated in legislature
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports: A Republican proposal to require voters to show photo identification would discriminate against blacks, the poor, the elderly and the disabled, opponents said Monday.
Under the plan, voters would have to present drivers licenses or other government-issued photo ID cards at the polls. About 170,000 Missourians of voting age lack drivers licenses and would have to secure alternative IDs.
Critics told a Senate committee that the changes would add a hurdle that would discourage legitimate voters from voting. Rep. Yaphett El-Amin, D-St. Louis, likened the requirement to Jim Crow laws, which imposed racial segregation on blacks. ...
Supporters of the proposal said their goal is to attack voter fraud and restore confidence in the election system. They said 95 percent of voting-age Missourians have drivers licenses. -- STLtoday - News - St. Louis City / County