JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The League of Women Voters of Missouri and the Missouri National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) are suing the state and the office of Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft over four provisions in House Bill of 1878 which was approved by the legislature in 2022. It was also signed by Republican Governor Mike Parson in June of that year.
The law prohibited compensation to those who registered voters. It also requires anyone who helps more than ten people register to vote to also register at Ashcroft’s office and be a voter. Violators may face criminal penalties and completed forms are public.
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“When these provisions were in effect briefly, they really crippled a lot of the voter engagement activities of these third-party civic engagement groups,” Missouri Voter Protection Coalition Executive Director Denise Lieberman said in an interview. with FOX4 on Friday.
Lieberman’s organization represents the League of Women Voters and the Missouri NAACP in the lawsuit. In the fall of 2022, she managed to get a court order implemented.
“Therefore, voters and organizations can rest assured that they can continue to register voters as they always have this summer while the court continues to analyze the issues involved in this case,” he added.
Secretary Ashcroft says this issue is about politics.
“Anyone who wants to have a phone with Internet access that can go to a library… can register to vote in Missouri online, and I jokingly say, ‘It’ll take you four minutes if you spell your name wrong.’ It is easy. It’s quick, anyone can do it,” Secretary Ashcroft said in an interview with FOX4 on Friday.
Ashcroft said Lieberman is trying to make an issue of something that isn’t an issue. Referring to House Bill 1878, Ashcroft says anyone who is unsure if their ID will work for voting can now contact her office and they will work with them to get one for free. To register to vote, click here.
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“If necessary, we will provide the underlying documents free of charge,” Ashcroft continued. “If Denise really cared about people, she would help us help people instead of trying to cause problems and sew up arrests and confuse the people of Missouri about how they can participate.”
A bench trial will begin in Cole County on Monday, August 19. Lieberman believes that no matter what happens, the losing party will likely appeal this decision to the Missouri Supreme Court.
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