Groups Sue over Missouri’s New Voting Law

The League of Women Voters of Missouri and the Missouri State Conference of the NAACP on Monday sued Missouri over the new voting law, which they say will restrict protected speech. The four provisions they are targeting include a new rule banning paid solicitation of voter registration applications, a second requiring volunteers who attempt to sign up more than 10 voters to register with the state, a third saying volunteer solicitors must be Missouri voters, and a fourth provision blocking people from soliciting “a voter into obtaining an absentee ballot application.” The plaintiffs argue that the law is too vague and would stifle voter registration and absentee voting activities. 

The next day, a lawsuit was filed by the ACLU of Missouri and the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition arguing that the new law requiring Missourians to present a government-issued photo ID was unconstitutional. Currently, voters can present a variety of different forms of identification at the polls including some that don’t require a photo, like a utility bill or voting cards. Under the new law, registered voters would either have to get a government-issued photo ID or cast a provisional ballot on Election Day. Critics of voter ID laws say the requirements disproportionately impact voters of color, the young, and the disabled. Proponents say it will help prevent voter fraud. The new law is set to go into effect on August 28, 2022.