A trial judge has struck down the ballot summary for a proposed amendment to the Missouri Constitution that would have cleared the way for requiring voters to show photo identification. Missouri lawmakers developed the summary when they approved the measure. But Cole County Circuit Judge Pat Joyce struck down the ballot summary and concluded that it is insufficient and unfair. In a ruling signed earlier this week, Joyce left it to the Legislature to revise.
Last year, the Republican-led Legislature passed a proposed constitutional amendment. It sought to clear the way for separate legislation requiring a photo ID to vote and to allow an early voting period. The proposed amendment sought to get around a 2006 Missouri Supreme Court ruling that declared a previous photo ID law unconstitutional.