ST. LOUIS — On Thursday, a Missouri judge dismissed the lawsuit attempting to fight the Voter ID law which means you'll still have to present a valid photo ID or vote provisionally on Nov. 8.
The Missouri Voter Protection Coalition said Thursday's ruling by a Cole County judge to dismiss a lawsuit against the voter ID law was not a ruling on the constitutionality or legality of it.
“It was simply procedural in nature, this case is not over by a longshot and while we believe that the Cole County Circuit Courts procedural ruling is incorrect, and out of step with prior precedent, the truth of the matter is that this case will move forward and will ultimately be decided by the Missouri Supreme Court,” Denise Lieberman, with the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, said.
Secretary of State John Ashcroft said in a statement:
“I applaud and agree with the court’s decision to dismiss this lawsuit since not even the plaintiffs could find a single individual who would be prevented from voting. Missouri elections will continue to be safe, secure, and accurate as we prepare for November.”
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) President Adolphus Pruitt said an appeal to this decision is on the way.
“There is so much empirical data and studies that show that voter ID does have an impact on people's ability to participate in the democratic process and definitely, it has an impact on underserved and minority communities to participate in the process,” Pruitt said.
One specific group of people this new law impacts is university students that can no longer vote with their school ID.
St. Louis University is making sure its students are prepared.
“We'll change our strategy a little bit to make sure they bring their passports, or that they know that they can vote provisionally if they don't have the Missouri ID,” Leah Sweetman, with St. Louis University (SLU) Center for Service and Community Engagement, said.
In addition to a passport these are the other acceptable forms of ID at the polls:
A Missouri driver or non-drivers license
Military ID or veterans ID card
Another photo ID issued by the United States or State of Missouri
Make sure whatever ID you bring is not expired and if you don't have one you can still vote on a provisional ballot, the signature will be matched to the one on your voter registration application.
To visit the Missouri Secretary of State's office, go their website here.
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