Voter ID Bill Passes Missouri House Committee

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Standing on the side gallery of the Missouri House of Representatives, the House Elections Committee gave approval to legislation that would require voters to present photo identification at their polling location.

The committee hearing was standing room only, as Rep. Sue Entlicher, R-Bolivar, elected to hold the committee right off the House floor, instead of an open committee hearing room.

Entlicher said no committee rooms were available at the hearing was scheduled. But at the time of the hearing, three committee rooms were vacant, and one had no hearings scheduled at all on Tuesday. Democrats, who have long opposed the voter ID proposal, attempted the chair of trying to stifle debate on the bill.

Still, people were able to testify in opposition. Denise Lieberman, an attorney who argues against voter ID laws, said the bill essentially eliminates protections guaranteed by the constitution allowing no restrictions on voting.

"The resolutions would necessarily strike the protections," she said. "We have never amended our constitution o weaken rights."

Rep. Pat Conway, D-St. Joseph, attempt to amend the bill to allow students to use their university photo identification to vote, but Rep. Stanley Cox - joined by the other Republicans on the committee - objected to that because he felt there was no way to verify the voter's address.

Republicans have long pushed the proposal because they believe some people are fraudulently casting ballots.