Missouri’s Voter ID trial resumes, testimony and closing arguments expected
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The trial over Missouri's Voter ID law will resume Thursday, with the states last witness set to testify after a two week pause.
The trial will begin at 9 a.m. at the Cole County Circuit Courts.
According to Deputy Director for Communications for the ACLU Tom Bastian, both sides have come to an agreement to finish the bench trial on Thursday, with closing arguments also expected to be heard.
The trial began with a testimony from a Political Science Professor at Rutgers who researches social justice, who was hired by the ACLU.
The professor stated voter fraud is rare in Missouri and a photo ID requirement is not likely to lower voter fraud.
Over the four days of trial, the ACLU called 10 people to testify.
Trial began Nov. 17th and was initially only supposed to last four days, but it had to be extended.
The trial follows after the Missouri NAACP and League of Women Voters are challenging the voter ID requirement, stating it creates barriers for voters. The groups filed the suit against the state in August, just about a month after the law took effect.
They say the records needed to obtain the proper identification to vote can be a challenge for people like the elderly and people with disabilities.
Missouri's Voter ID Law, passed in 2022, requires everyone to show a government-issued photo ID to vote or other valid forms identification like military IDs and driver's licenses.
The state is arguing that no one has been turned away from polls due to the law, and that they provide free birth certificates and non-driver licenses to people who need the documentation to vote.
