Missouri’s Secretary of State here, June 6

Jay Ashcroft, Missouri’s Secretary of State, will be at the Franklin P. Norman City/County Community Center at 1 p.m., on Tuesday, June 6.

Over the span of an hour, the statewide officer in charge of elections will describe the provisions of the state’s new voter identification requirements in a presentation entitled, “ShowIt2Vote.” He will tell how the state can help those without a photo ID to obtain one at no charge and he will answer questions.

Called the “Voter ID Informational Tour,” Ashcroft’s visit to Nevada will be the third stop on the second day of a five-day tour of Missouri, over the span of which the secretary will speak at a total of 23 venues.

Last November, Missouri voters approved a constitutional amendment which requires those seeking to vote to identify themselves to poll workers using a photo ID, with several exceptions included.

The new rules, which took effect on June 1, include ways for people to vote who do not have a photo ID as well as a way to obtain a photo ID non-driver license, paid for by the state.

Because there were no federal elections slated for 2017, it was initially thought there would be ample time for the Missouri Secretary of State’s office to devise the necessary rules for implementation and publicize the new requirements.

However, the city of New Madrid is having a court-ordered special election on June 20, St. Louis has a ward holding a special aldermanic election on July 11 and on Aug. 8, voters in 52 counties across the state – including Vernon County – will be going to the polls.

Elections will be held for everything from the state representative serving the Columbia area – who became Governor Greitens’ Chief of Staff – to the state representative serving Bolivar and Buffalo – who became Lieutenant Governor as well as board members to water districts, such as in part of Vernon County.

Since the constitutional amendment on voter ID requires the Secretary of State to publicize the amendment’s provisions adequately and there are elections coming up quickly, Ashcroft organized his “informational tour” to get the word out to as many of those places holding elections from June 20 through Aug. 8.

Said Vernon County’s chief election authority, county clerk, Mike Buehler, “The first step in being able to vote is being registered. At every election, we have people who thought they had registered find out – when it’s too late for that election – that for whatever reason, they’re not registered to vote.”

Registration can be done at the county clerk’s office, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. and from 1-4:30 p.m.

“Before I say any more about the new voter ID law, let me slightly change something Ashcroft often says: if you’re a registered voter in Vernon County, you will be able to vote,” said Buehler.

Under the new law, the preferred form of voter identification will be a photo ID, but the county clerk wanted two things to be made clear.

“Under the new law, a photo ID is not the only acceptable form of voter identification, but the state is moving in that direction and it’s a good thing to have one,” added Buehler.

Under the new law, the State of Missouri will pay for people to get what is called a “Non-Driver Photo Identification Card” and will assist people in obtaining any necessary documents, if located within Missouri, also without cost.

In order to vote, acceptable government-issued photo identification will include a driver’s license, a non-driver photo identification card, passport or military identification.

However, to adhere to rulings in previous court challenges to voter ID laws in Missouri and other states, if a voter is unable to provide election officials with one of those forms of photo ID, the new law provides for two alternatives in order to ensure that a voter’s ballot will count.

The first way begins with poll workers asking the voter to sign an affidavit stating he or she does not possess one of the acceptable forms of photo ID.

Buehler interrupted his description of the process to say, “On election day, if you have a photo ID, such as a driver’s license, be sure to bring it with you to the polls.”

After signing the affidavit, the voter will then need to show one of the following forms of identification: an ID from a Missouri university, college, vocational or technical school; a utility bill or bank statement in the voter’s name; the voter’s paycheck; a government check or other government document showing the voter’s name and address.

“About the only form of identification which we used to accept but won’t anymore is the Voter Identification Card which my office issues,” said Buehler.

If the voter is unable to provide one of the above-listed documents, the other way to ensure his or her ballot is counted is by voting a “Provisional Ballot.” Such a ballot will count if the voter’s signature matches the signature in the clerk’s office or if the voter returns to the polling place prior to its closing and shows a photo ID.

The Missouri Secretary of State’s website, showit2vote.com provides information on how his office will help a voter obtain one non-driver license for free. Information and assistance can be obtained at the website or by calling a toll-free hotline at (866) 868-3245.

“I’ve been asked why the new photo ID law allows all those other forms of identification,” said Buehler.

He went on to explain how, in 2006, the Missouri State Supreme Court struck down a previous attempt at such a law. As a result, last November’s amendment made a number of changes to avoid the types of court challenges as have occurred in Missouri as well as Texas and North Carolina in recent years.

As Missouri Secretary of State, Jay Ashcroft, said at a Vernon County rally last year, “No registered voter will be disenfranchised by this law.”