St. Louis area Democrats are using an appeal of a court ruling against Missouri’s voter photo identification law as a rallying cry in the state’s competitive race for U.S. Senate. U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, D-University City, joined Democratic members of the Missouri General Assembly Monday to demand that Attorney General Josh Hawley drop his defense of the law. A Cole County judge last week declared unconstitutional the sworn statement voters who used non-photo identification like a utility bill had to sign to cast a ballot. “Instead of stepping up to protect the voting rights of these Missourians who are most at risk of being disenfranchised, our AG, Josh Hawley, is appealing Judge [Richard]Callahan’s ruling in order to suppress the vote of minorities, the disabled and the rural poor who are most likely to vote for his opponent,” Clay said.
Hawley is locked in a tight U.S. Senate race with the incumbent Democrat, Claire McCaskill.
State Senator-elect Karla May, D-St. Louis, said Hawley’s decision made the contrast between the two even more stark, and sought to use it as a rallying cry.
“On November 6th, vote against any person that’s running for office that’s trying to stop you, the people, who are the government, from voting,” she said.
Full Article: St. Louis Democrats urge Hawley to drop voter photo ID appeal | St. Louis Public Radio.