A lawsuit alleging that Missouri’s new voter identification law was intended to make it harder for poor and minority residents to cast their ballots has been dismissed. Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem on Tuesday threw out the suit filed in June by the ACLU and the Advancement Project on behalf of the Missouri NAACP and the League of Women Voters. Missouri voters overwhelmingly approved a November 2016 ballot measure instituting voter ID. The law became effective June 1.
“The people of Missouri were right, and common sense prevailed,” Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said in a statement Wednesday. “We followed the law, we expanded ballot access and we didn’t disenfranchise voters.”
Denise Lieberman, St. Louis attorney for the Advancement Project, said opponents of the law remain concerned about it. “We’ll continue to look at all of our options in challenging it,” Lieberman said.
The suit alleged that Missouri failed to provide adequate funding for voter education, free voter IDs for those who need them, and training for poll workers.
Full Article: Judge dismisses suit over Missouri’s voter ID law | The Seattle Times.