voter ID

Kobach lost the general race for governor to Laura Kelly in 2018, leaving some Republicans speculating he could cost them the attorney general's office if he landed the nomination.

A new laws signed by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson will make major changes to the state’s elections laws. Starting this fall, residents are required to show a photo ID when they cast a ballot, a controversial rule that may make it harder for some groups to vote.

In addition to signing a record operating budget and nearly 40 other pieces of legislation, Gov. Mike Parson is calling for a special session to cut the state’s income tax.

Missouri voters can expect changes to the election process come November's general election. A political science professor analyzes some of the changes that will be implemented after the August primaries.

Under the law, acceptable photo identification includes a non-expired Missouri driver’s license or state ID, non-expired passports and photo military IDs. The voter ID requirements won’t impact the Aug. 2 primary, though.

Many provisions of the Republican-backed bill were inspired by debunked conspiracies surrounding the 2020 presidential election, such as a ban on touch-screen voting machines.

Missouri lawmakers also stripped all of the state’s provisions that made it easier for individuals to vote during the early days of the pandemic. “We’re talking about gutting elections," one St. Louis Democrat responded.

In Missouri, Republicans in the legislature have introduced bills to put photo identification requirements in place and give the secretary of state’s office more oversight over voter rolls and election administration.

More than 30 election-reform measures have been proposed in the Missouri legislature this year. Most disturbing, Hispanic leaders say, are those that would require voters to have government-issued photo identification to cast a ballot.

On the last day before the legislature takes a week off, the House also passed legislation creating nurseries in women’s prisons and a measure to prevent local officials from closing churches in a pandemic.

The move could have implications for the 2022 U.S. Senate race, primarily because it could make it harder for someone like former Gov. Eric Greitens to win.

In 47 states, the Republican Party has been proposing, and sometimes passing, sweeping new laws to restrict voting access.