ST. LOUIS — Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, State Rep. Bruce Franks Jr. (D – St. Louis) and Rep. Justin Alferman (R – Hermann) held a joint town hall meeting Monday morning at St. Louis City Hall to announce the launch of the public photo voter ID outreach program, “Show It 2 Vote.”
Thanks @brucefranksjr & @Justinalf for partnering to launch #ShowIt2Vote! Important step to ensure every eligible, registered voter can vote pic.twitter.com/bkZ7taHKHd
— Jay Ashcroft (@JayAshcroftMO) March 6, 2017
“Last November, 63 percent of Missouri voters passed constitutional amendment six, paving the way for common sense voter ID,” Ashcroft said. “First, and most importantly, we will make certain every eligible registered voter can still request an absentee ballot or go to his or her polling place and vote on election day. Second, the Secretary of State’s office will begin a public information campaign about the new photo ID requirements and assist those individuals who do not have photo identification in order to vote. Our office has and will continue to work closely with the Governor, members of both the State House and Senate, other administration departments and local election authorities to ensure the successful implementation of the new photo voter ID law.
“The people of Missouri have spoken and we’ve been tasked with the responsibility of implementing this common sense voter ID law. Your secretary of state’s office will remain steadfast in the promise of ensuring every eligible registered Missouri voter has the right opportunity to vote in every election,” Ashcroft said.
The photo voter ID law provides several ways to cast a ballot. A voter may show a government-issued photo ID such as a driver license, nondriver license, Passport or military ID. Another option is to sign a statement and show one of the following: voter registration card, ID from a Missouri university, college, vocational or technical school, a utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document showing the voter’s name and address. Finally, a voter without a photo ID or any of the documents listed above may cast a provisional ballot. If the voter’s signature matches the signature in the voter registry or if the voter returns to the polling place to show appropriate photo ID, the vote will be counted.
“I am happy to stand alongside Secretary Ashcroft in educating our community on the proper implementation of the new photo voter ID law, set to take effect June 1, 2017,” Franks Jr said. “The law has been passed and it’s important that we now bridge the divide over this issue to ensure that all eligible, registered voters are able to vote. I encourage everyone to join us in the mission of spreading the word about Missouri’s new photo voter ID requirements.”
“This morning we are taking an important step to protect the safety and security of our elections,” said Alferman. “I am confident the state legislature will fully fund photo voter ID to comply with the law’s requirements and I look forward to continuing to work directly with Secretary Ashcroft to safeguard our elections.”
ShowIt2Vote.com contains clear, concise information on the law’s requirements, how to request assistance from the Secretary of State’s office to obtain the official documents needed to obtain a photo ID, contact information for the Secretary of State, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Vital Records Division and Missouri Department of Revenue.
ShowIt2Vote.com and the ShowIt2Vote Help Line are available. Call (866) 868-3245 for assistance.
