Chicago Sun-Times (Sunday)

Fears of noncitizen­s voting prompt GOP state lawmakers in Missouri to propose driver’s license label

- BY SUMMER BALLENTINE

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — All Missouri driver’s licenses would be labeled with a U.S. citizenshi­p stamp under a bill approved last week by Republican House members, who argued the change is needed because of an increase in illegal border crossings.

The bill, which needs another vote of approval to move to the Senate, is part of an effort by GOP lawmakers nationwide who fear more immigrants could lead to noncitizen­s voting — a practice that is already federally prohibited.

Experts say noncitizen voting in federal elections remains exceedingl­y rare. Federal law also requires states to regularly maintain their voter rolls and remove anyone ineligible, a process that identifies immigrants living in the country illegally.

Still, Ohio enacted legislatio­n similar to Missouri’s last year requiring that driver’s licenses and state ID cards indicate an individual’s citizenshi­p status. That’s after Ohio voters banned noncitizen voting at the local level.

The idea behind the measures is that symbols of citizenshi­p on IDs will help election officials easily identify potential noncitizen­s and stop them from voting.

According to data collected by the Voting Rights Lab, lawmakers in more than a dozen other states are considerin­g a more aggressive stance: using driver’s license informatio­n to purge suspected noncitizen­s from voter rolls. The organizati­on tracks voting-related legislatio­n in the states and advocates for expanded voter access.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed such a bill into law Monday.

The efforts come as Trump has repeatedly suggested — without evidence — that Democrats are encouragin­g migrants to flow into the country illegally in order to register them to vote in the 2024 election.

If people are capable of slavery, Republican sponsor of the Missouri bill Rep. Dan Stacy said, “it’s not a great stretch to think that misdirecte­d human nature, seeking power through political means, would not stoop to force or coerce illegal immigrants to fill out a falsified voter registrati­on card and use it to pad the voter rolls and voter turnout.”

Missouri Democrats warned that there’s no need for the House bill, and that it could inadverten­tly cause problems for citizens trying to vote.

“Quite frankly, it’s a waste of the people’s time,” Rep. Bridget Walsh Moore said during a House floor debate Tuesday. “It is a solution in search of a problem.”

In Missouri, first-time voters also are checked against Social Security Administra­tion and state Department of Revenue databases, said Missouri Associatio­n of County Clerks and Election Authoritie­s President Eric Fey in an email.

“It is not common for non-citizens to register or vote in Missouri,” Fey said. “There have, however, been a handful of instances of non-citizens registerin­g or voting caught by Missouri election authoritie­s in past years.”

 ?? CHARLIE RIEDEL/AP FILE ?? People cast their ballots on Nov. 3, 2020, in Kansas City, Mo. Some state lawmakers are taking extra steps to prevent noncitizen­s from voting.
CHARLIE RIEDEL/AP FILE People cast their ballots on Nov. 3, 2020, in Kansas City, Mo. Some state lawmakers are taking extra steps to prevent noncitizen­s from voting.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States