Two voting rights organizations filed a lawsuit against Missouri's Secretary of State
Jefferson City — The NAACP and The League of Women Voters filed a lawsuit against the Secretary of State, Jay Ashcroft, over House Bill 1878, which deals with voter registration. The bill is set to go into effect on August 28, 2022.
The plaintiffs in the case have argued the text of the new law is vague and suppresses voter participation in Missouri Elections.
Marilyn Mcleod, President of The League of Women Voters said the organization helps voters register and ensure their information, such as, home addresses are up to date.
Mcleod said she fears the new bill will impact the LWV’s ability to engage with the public.
“The language of the law is so vague it seems indeed that it can been seen as a criminal offense,” said Mcleod.
There are three elements of the legislation that are at the core of the issue.
First, the bill prohibits people who solicit voter registration from being paid.
Secondly, it requires anyone who registers ten or more voters to register with state as a "voter solicitor."
Finally, the prevents people from voting absentee unless they submit a ballot application at least six weeks in advance.
“Now, the reality is an application for an absentee ballot is a free speech first amendment issue,” said Mcleod.
Denise Lieberman of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition said this bill is a part of a nationwide trend intended to disenfranchise voters.
“Not only by the ways that provisions like the photo ID provision stands to keep voters from exercising their fundamental rights, but also the ways the House Bill 1878 criminalizes the civic engagement activities of the very organizations that help unserved voters participate in Missouri elections,” said Mcleod.
Following the 2020 elections, Secretary Ashcroft discovered evidence of two cases of voter fraud in Missouri, both cases happened in St. Charles, and the prosecuting attorney of the city chose not to file charges in either case.
A representative for the Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's office said they have not formally been served a lawsuit yet, and therefore are unable to comment on the suite,
However, Ashcroft explained the intention of the bill is to restore Missourian’s faith in the elections.
“Any good election needs to have accessibility; we want to make sure every registered voter can vote. We want to have security. We don’t want to let them vote twice and we need to have credibility. So, regardless or not your candidate or your issue passes or fails at the end of the night you say we did our best and I can trust the results,” said Ashcroft.
This is a developing story.
