JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. _ Missouri lawmakers on Wednesday overrode Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of a bill that would require Missourians to present photo identification before voting.
Similar to other laws around the country, it's reflective of a broader ideological divide between Democrats and Republicans on voter access. GOP lawmakers argue the bill would prevent voter fraud, but their Democratic colleagues said it was an expensive solution in search of a problem.
But recent problems with absentee ballots in St. Louis _ which have led to a special election being held in the 78th House District _ served as fuel for supporters of the proposal in both chambers, who pointed to the incident as evidence voters should prove their identity before casting votes.
"I couldn't even tell you who the candidates are, I don't know, but there's obviously a problem," said GOP Sen. Robert Dixon.
Sponsoring Sen. Will Kraus, a Republican, maintained the bill was a common sense measure that would prevent impersonation at the polls, encouraging his colleagues to vote for an override after seeing "these injustices happening in our election cycle."
Democrats fought against that argument. Democratic Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal lamented Republicans who will use the incident to campaign for voter ID through commercials and fliers in rural and conservative areas.
"It is not accurate for you to say to this body that having a photo ID would have eliminated the issue of absentee voter fraud," she said to Kraus. "(This bill) is not solving anything whatsoever. Not anything. ... This bill, in my belief, is a definite step backwards. What we should be promoting is inclusion and activism for all people."
Democratic Sen. Jamilah Nasheed also slammed Kraus for not reading the judge's ruling in the 78th District case, though he pointed to new election this Friday while pushing for the legislation.
"The real fraud is this bill itself," Nasheed said.
The measure is tied to a voter referendum clause, where voters will be asked to weigh in on the proposal's constitutionality in November. The bill lawmakers overrode Wednesday lays out how the system would be implemented if voters approve the plan. If they do, the requirement goes into effect in 2017.
After more than two hours of debate, Republicans used a procedural maneuver, known as a motion to the previous question, to end debate and vote on the bill. It was overridden with a 24-7 vote.
