The American Civil Liberties Union and another civil rights group filed suit Thursday seeking to stop implementation of Missouri’s new photo ID voting law in advance of a July 11 St. Louis special election, claiming the law is an attempt to disenfranchise voters. The suit, filed in Cole County Circuit Court in Jefferson City, alleges the state has failed to provide adequate public education about the new requirements. “Voters were promised that this law was not about disenfranchising the most vulnerable in our state,” Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Missouri, said in a written statement. “The state’s lack of funding and implementation of this law tells another story.”
The suit was filed by the ACLU and Advancement Project, a civil rights group based in Washington, D.C., on behalf of the NAACP and the League of Women Voters.
“Missouri’s restrictive photo ID law was designed to make it harder for people to vote,” said Denise Lieberman, co-director of power and democracy at Advancement Project’s national office, and coordinator of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition.
“It is a gimmick that — as we’ve seen in other states — inevitably leads to blocking people from the ballot, especially people of color, young voters, seniors, women, and people with disabilities.”
Full Article: Civil rights groups sue to block Missouri’s new voter ID law | Political Fix | stltoday.com.