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Secretary of State Robin Carnahan announced her opposition Wednesday to legislation that would require voters to present photo identification at the polls. KSMU's Missy Shelton reports.
More than 75 people gathered in the capitol rotunda to hear Secretary of State Robin Carnahan speak against requiring voters to present photo identification before casting a ballot.
Right now, voters have several options for identifying themselves when they go to vote...They can use their voter registration card even a utility bill.
Carnahan criticized the bill for limiting those options.
But the bill contains language that clearly allows voters to use either a state issued photo I-D OR an I-D issued by the federal government...like a military I-D or passport.
The bill sponsor is Republican Senator Delbert Scott.
He says there are a lot of misconceptions about his bill.
For one, many people say it's not necessary...But Scott says there are cases of fraudulent voter registration.
But critics of the bill say the issue isn't so simple for some voters.
Secretary of State Robin Carnahan says getting a photo I-D will be difficult for some elderly and disabled citizens.
For those who don't have state or federal photo I-D's, the bill sponsor Senator Delbert Scott says the state will make every effort to help get I-D's for those voters.
Scott says the state will be able to get them photo I-D's in time for the election this fall.
A woman who rallied against Scott's proposal says she worries how the photo identification requirement will impact the ability of her 80 year old mother to vote.
Francis Battle says the additional requirement will be too much of a burden on her mother and others.
The bill that would require voters to present photo identification is up for first round approval in the senate. The bill got laid aside when senators debated the bill in a late night session and failed to reach a compromise.
