photo ID

Missouri lawmakers passed legislation in 2022 that established a photo ID requirement at the polls. The NAACP and voting rights group had sued, arguing that its intention was to disenfranchise large groups of people.

Missouri quietly restricted its policy for transgender residents to change the gender markers on their state IDs. For some people, it was the last straw. Plus: How Children’s Mercy researchers are working to make genetic testing more accessible in rural Kansas.

An LGBTQ+ advocacy group says the Missouri Department of Revenue's recent policy change to identifying documents poses challenges for trans and nonbinary people.

The Missouri Department of Revenue used to allow the signature of a physician, therapist or social worker before approving the change of a gender designation. Now, it requires residents to provide either documentation of gender reassignment surgery, or a court order.

La Tarjeta Fountain de Kansas City, que tiene menos requisitos que una tarjeta de identificación tradicional, ayudará a los residentes que tienen problemas para obtener una identificación emitida por el gobierno, facilitando el acceso a los servicios de agua, tarjetas de biblioteca, cuentas bancarias y otros programas de la ciudad.

Kansas City’s Fountain Card, which has fewer requirements than a traditional ID card, will help residents who have issues getting government-issued identification by easing access to water services, library cards, bank accounts and other city programs.

The NAACP and the League of Women Voters are challenging Missouri's 2022 voter ID law, arguing it imposes unconstitutional burdens on the right to vote without actually achieving the stated goal of reducing fraud. Two previous attempts by Missouri Republicans to require voter IDs have been struck down by the courts.

After the Kansas Legislature passed a law defining women and men by biological sex, Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a motion to nullify a 2019 consent judgment that required Kansas to provide birth certificates that reflected sex consistent with an individual's gender identity.

In its last legislative session of the term, the Kansas City Council passed pay raises for council members and the mayor, allocated millions of dollars for 2026 World Cup preparations and created a municipal ID program. The next time the body meets in August, it will welcome seven new faces.

The Fountain Card will let people who have trouble getting state and federal identification access water services, library cards, prescription drug discounts and other programs. Residents will just need to show proof of their identity and residency.

Under a recent anti-LGBTQ law passed by the Kansas Legislature, transgender residents will be prohibited from changing the sex on their driver’s licenses and other official documents. When the law takes effect July 1, lawyers and advocates say it could lead to harassment and discrimination.

The City Council passed a resolution directing the city manager to report on what such a program would look like. Officials say a city ID would help people who don’t have valid identification access city services.