Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has been busy with the veto pen this session, and the legislature has given him cause to use it again.
A bill requiring citizens to produce government-issued photo identification at the polls would create barriers for thousands of elderly and disabled Missourians, college students and minorities. Now is the time to stop it.
A supposed sweetener in the bill — the introduction of convenient advance voting in Missouri — is a red herring. Early voting would be subject to annual funding by the legislature and governor. The chances of finding money in a cash-strapped budget anytime soon are slim.
The odds of the GOP-dominated legislature scraping up funds to initiate the photo ID requirement are much better, given the current pressure to do so from national Republican-leaning interest groups.
Read more:
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/05/11/2868384/the-stars-editorial-to-protect.html#ixzz1MR2I1qY1