Please act NOW to prevent voter ID in MO!!

[proud2BlibKansan]

People For the American Way Thanks to those of you
who already made calls. Keep up the pressure!



Earlier this month, we alerted you to a bill in the
Missouri state Senate that would impose a photo ID
requirement on the state's voters, potentially
disenfranchising thousands.


Thanks in part to your activism, Senate Democrats
are filibustering this legislation,
known by its bill number, SB 1014! They successfully
blocked a vote before the Missouri Legislature went
on recess last week. Senators are home this week, so
now is a good time for you to show your opposition
to SB 1014 and all other restrictive ID
requirements.


Check your local papers for public appearances
by your state senator, and go in person to let
them know you oppose voter ID requirements.


Let us know how conversations with your senator
go by emailing [e-mail] and
putting "MO Voting Rights" in the subject line.


Here are some talking points to use in your
conversations with your senator:


a.. Although a majority of
Americans have and use ID as a routine matter,
approximately 10% of the public --
disproportionately people of color, elderly
citizens, disabled citizens, youth, and low-income
citizens -- do not have government-issued photo ID.
Voting is for all of us, not just some of us. And
for those who do not currently have ID, getting ID
can be unduly burdensome, in terms of both time and
money.
b.. ID requirements are not
justified by any serious or widespread problem.
Proponents often cite fraud or the potential for
fraud to justify new ID requirements. There is no
question that election misconduct exists, including
improper purges of eligible voters, distributing
false information about when and where to vote,
stuffing of ballot boxes, and tampering with
registration forms. But there is no evidence that
the type of fraud purported to be solved by stricter
voter ID, i.e. individual voters who misrepresent
their identity at the polls, is anything but an
anomaly.
c.. As of June 23, 2005, The
Kansas City Star had identified only three
individuals guilty of double voting statewide in the
last five years, and it is unlikely that photo ID
requirements would stop even this kind of fraud.

d.. Nationwide in the past four
years, 52 individuals have been convicted of federal
crimes relating to election fraud (including several
offenses not remedied by ID requirements), while
almost 200 millions ballots have been cast in
federal general elections. Statistically, Americans
are more likely to be killed by a bolt of lightning
than vote under a false identity, while thousands of
eligible voters could be disenfranchised by the
imposition of a photo ID requirement.
Keep up the good work!


--Your Allies at People For the
American Way


Please support our work to protect
voting rights in the states.
http://www.pfaw.org/go/contribute

[ochazuke]

1. Any info on my Senator?

I'm in district nine, Yvonne Wilson, right? District ten, Charles Wheeler is close by.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. I wouldn't expect her to support this