Jefferson City – The Supreme Court of Missouri affirmed two lower court rulings, one striking down laws criminalizing voter registration and voter engagement activities, and the other agreeing that voters and their advocates lacked standing to challenge Missouri’s strict photo ID requirement to vote. Both lawsuits challenged provisions of the omnibus voting bill passed as House Bill 1878 in 2022.
The ACLU of Missouri, Campaign Legal Center, the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition issued the following statement in response to the decision to strike down laws criminalizing voter registration and voter engagement activities:
“The court rightfully rejected the portion of House Bill 1878 which imposed criminal penalties for political speech, voter registration, and civic engagement efforts by organizations like the League of Women Voters and the NAACP. Third-party voter registration activities blocked by the challenged legislation are critical, constitute core political speech, and are necessary to ensure that voters can get on the rolls and participate in elections. Legislation like HB 1878 was designed to block access for Missouri voters and halt the ability of civic engagement organizations to engage their fellow citizens."
The ACLU of Missouri and the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition issued the following statement in response to the decision that upheld a decision that voters lacked standing to challenge Missouri’s photo ID requirement:
“Missourians' ability to cast ballots is the cornerstone of our democracy. Despite rejecting similar restrictions on photo ID to vote in the past, the court found that our Plaintiffs did not have standing to challenge the strict photo ID requirements for voting which will continue to allow the state to restrict acceptable forms of identification and disenfranchise Missouri voters, particularly people of color, rural Missourians, people with limited income, seniors, and voters with disabilities. By refusing to hear the voters’ challenge to the photo ID law’s unnecessary and burdensome legal obstacles, fewer Missourians will be able to weigh in on decisions that impact our communities and families. We will remain committed to fighting attacks on the ballot box every step of the way.”
These decisions stem from two separate lawsuits challenging certain provisions of an omnibus voting bill passed as House Bill 1878 in 2022. The ACLU of Missouri, Campaign Legal Center, and the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition challenged the provisions that restricted voter registration activity and distribution of absentee ballot applications for violating Missourians’ rights to free speech, free association, and due process enshrined in the Missouri Constitution. In the second lawsuit, the ACLU of Missouri and Missouri Voter Protection Coalition filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Missouri Chapter of the NAACP, the League of Women Voters of Missouri, and Missouri voters to challenge the provisions that restrict the types of acceptable identification used for voting for violating their rights to equal protection and their fundamental right to vote as enshrined in the Missouri Constitution.
Read the full opinion for LWV et al v. Hoskins.
Read the full opinion for NAACP et al v. Missouri.