A new law went into effect in Missouri over the weekend that requires residents to show photo ID when they vote. Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft joined KMOX to talk more about the law.
He said that a Missouri non-driver's license, a driver's license, a passport, or a military ID will all work and allow people to vote with a standard ballot.
"If they do not have that they will be allowed to vote a provisional ballot. They'll have to fill out some extra information on an envelope on the outside of that. That ballot will be put away in a secure location until after the election closes at seven o'clock," Ashcroft said. "And then the election authority will verify who they are based on their signature and the other information they provided. And if they are legally allowed to vote, that vote will be counted."
He emphasized that people should know that if they register to vote, they will still be able to vote, even if they don't have photo ID. The provisional ballot just means that there will be some extra steps in the process to ensure identification.
Critics of the new photo ID law say that it's a way to suppress voters, particularly those with marginalized identities. Ashcroft said the provisional ballot still allows everyone to vote, even without photo ID.
"We wanted to make sure that if someone pulled out their wallet and kicked their driver's license into the storm drain, they would still be able to vote," Ashcroft added.
There was no evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 election in Missouri.
Another part of the law is the "no excuse" absentee balloting, which allows people to vote absentee without having to provide a reason for he two weeks leading up to the election.
"I think people will like it," Ashcroft said. "Just take your government-issued photo ID, go to the election authority and you can vote those two weeks before the election."
Hear more from Secretary Ashcroft on new voting provisions on Total Information AM:
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