JURIST - Paper Chase: Missouri voter ID law targeted by Democratic lawsuit

[JURIST] Democratic Party officials in Missouri [JURIST news archive] filed a class-action lawsuit Monday seeking a permanent injunction against the enforcement of a new state law [SB 1014 summary; text] that requires voters to show photo identification at the polls [Missouri Dept. Revenue backgrounder]. The law, signed by Gov. Matt Blunt [governor's press release] last month, allows voters who can't produce ID to cast provisional ballots that will be checked against signatures in election records. The plaintiffs argue that the law violates a provision of the Missouri Constitution [Article X Section 21 text] prohibiting the state government from passing on unfunded mandates to local governments and that it would disenfranchise some voters.

A similar law in Georgia is also being challenged in court. Last week, a federal district judge there issued a preliminary injunction [JURIST report] against the Georgia legislation, suggesting that it may unconstitutionally discriminate against some voters. AP has more.

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