The Missouri House Election Committee held a hearing yesterday morning on HJR 14 and HB 329, a pair of bills that would amend the Missouri Constitution and require voters to display a Missouri or United States government-issued photo identification at the polls. A constitutional amendment is required because a similar bill, which passed in 2006, was struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court as unconstitutional on the grounds that it “represents a substantial and heavy burden on Missourians’ free exercise of their fundamental right to vote.”
I woke up at 4:00 a.m. to drive to 130 miles to Jefferson City because I wanted our representatives to hear how they were disenfranchising me. Unfortunately, time ran out before I – and many other opponents of these bills, including seniors and disability advocates – had an opportunity to testify. We were told to come back next week, and they will be seeing me again.
I am a senior at Saint Louis University, and I have voted in Missouri for the last 3 years using my student ID. I am not a Missouri native, and I still carry an out-of-state driver’s license. With my current forms of identification, I would not be able to cast my ballot under the proposed legislation. I attended the hearing because I believe this legislation would disenfranchise thousands of Missouri students like myself.
According to the Secretary of State, there have been no documented cases of voter impersonation in Missouri, the sort of behavior this legislation is intended to address. It concerns me that our representatives would sell out the rights of thousands of eligible Missouri voters based on nothing but the speculation that fraud is occurring. I hope that before voting in favor of this legislation, they consider its great cost to our liberty.
If I had the chance to testify today, this is what I would have said:
My name is Thomas Bloom, and I am a senior at Saint Louis University. I came to Saint Louis from Iowa, where my parents live, and I continue to carry an Iowa drivers license. In 2008, I decided to register to vote in Missouri as a matter of convenience – I could use my student ID at the polls, and I wouldn’t have to deal with absentee ballots.
Since then, voting here has helped me to become invested in this state. It broke me out of my campus bubble and engaged me in the challenges facing my community. It is the reason that I am concerned about unaccredited Saint Louis schools, the lack of jobs for hard working Missourians, and the slow pace of our economic recovery. It is also the reason that when I graduate in three months, I want to stay right here in Missouri.
If HB 329 is passed, students like me will no longer be able to use their student IDs or out of state drivers licenses to vote. It will rob us of our voice and our opportunity to fully participate as Missouri citizens. If we want to solve the challenges of tomorrow, it begins by engaging my generation today. It begins by protecting our right to vote. Thank you.
You can see coverage of the hearing here. And I hope you’ll stand with me by joining Rock the Vote’s fight against efforts to disenfranchise young voters.
Tags: Missouri voting laws, suppression is un-American, Thomas Bloom, voter suppression
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Thomas Bloom Bio: Thomas is a Rock the Vote guest blogger. He is a senior at St. Louis University in Missouri. @ThomasJBloom Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com |
Couldn’t you just vote via absentee ballot in your home state? If voting for state elections, can’t you update your license to the current state where you’ve taken up residence?