The push for in-person, early voting in Missouri is getting a bipartisan push, but it remains to be seen whether the proposal will gain enough traction to make it through the Legislature this year. Voters in nearly all of the states that surround Missouri are able to cast their ballots, in person, weeks before Election Day, without swearing to an excuse as to why they can’t vote on Election Day. Secretary of State Jason Kander, a Democrat from Kansas City, said the fact that someone across the state border in Kansas, for example, has more time to vote than someone on the Missouri side has drawn the public’s attention to the issue. “Whether it’s Republicans, Democrats, rural voters, urban voters — everybody wants to see us get this done,” he said.
Rep. Myron Neth, a Republican from Liberty, agreed to sign on as the sponsor of a bill in the House. Two Democrat-backed versions in the Senate have had committee hearings, but neither has been voted on in the GOP-controlled body.
“This has a lot of merit, and there’s no reason that we shouldn’t look at it,” Neth said.
Neth, vice chairman of the House Elections Committee, said he thought the issue should be debated so lawmakers can work to create voting options that are best for Missourians.
“We’ve just got to figure out how to do it,” he said.
Full Article: Early voting proposal gets bipartisan push in Missouri : News.