voting rights

KCUR assembled a guide to help you navigate Missouri's 2022 election, including information on how to vote and what to expect on your ballot.

The state constitution itself has its roots in the bitter days of Bleeding Kansas. One proposed version that granted the right to vote for free African Americans was rejected by a pro-slavery Congress.

Filed by attorney Chuck Hatfield on behalf of three plaintiffs, the lawsuit names the Judicial Redistricting Commission and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft as defendants. The commission created the map and Ashcroft implemented it for this year’s elections.

No longer a respite from the triple-digit summer temperatures, Missouri evenings have been just as hot and muggy as the days —one of the many impacts of climate change. Plus, some Phelps County residents were put at risk of losing their right to vote, all because they have court-ordered guardians.

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.

The Phelps County Clerk wanted to take anyone with a court-ordered guardian off the voting rolls. She relented, but people with disabilities and their advocates concerned about the future are fighting back.

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.

Organizers have until May 8 to put ranked-choice voting on Missouri’s November ballot.

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft wonders whether state courts have the authority to redraw districts — or whether there’s enough time this year for federal courts to intervene.

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.

Kansas agreed to pay attorney fees and court costs of the plaintiffs after a federal court struck down parts of a new state law that criminalized the distribution of advanced mail ballot applications.

As Democrats in the U.S. Senate get set to debate the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act, young activists compare today's fight for ballot access to the efforts in the time of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.