Elections

Ayres, Whitehead and Conway

Republican Nita Jane Ayres won yesterday's special election to replace former Rep. Dennis Wood in the 62nd District.  Wood was appointed Stone County presiding commissioner in September.

Democratic lawyer Hope Whitehead is the new state representative for the city of St. Louis' 57th District, replacing the now-convicted former state Rep. T.D. El-Amin.

Democrat Pat Conway won yesterday's special election in the 27th House District, and will replace former Rep. Ed Wildberger. Wildberger stepped down last year to fill Buchanan County's recorder of deeds position.

Boone Co. resident J. Karl Miller's op-ed calling for VOTER ID in Missouri confuses the issues surrounding this year's proposed PHOTO ID law.  I couldn't agree more that Voter ID is necessary for fair elections and that's why Missouri already HAS commonsense voter ID laws in place.  Like a lot of people supporting HJR 9, Mr. Miller confuses current voter ID requirements with restrictive government-issued photo ID proposals that have been floating around the legislature for several years now.

Mr. Miller goes on to sight that rampant frequency of voter fraud hypothetical voter impersonation fraud as a reason to require photo ID, and in effect disenfranchise 230,000 voters.  He then goes on to equate the constitutional RIGHT to vote the same way as boarding a plane to Vegas or renting "Harold and Kumar Go to Whitecastle" as being one and the same as voting for the next President.

It's time that folks get their facts straight and understand that photo ID requirements threaten our access to to the ballot. 

Despite a a still-unfinished state budget not having a clue on how to spend federal stimulus dollars, the House leadership remains intent on passing a regressive photo ID law AGAIN.  Rep. Shane Schoeller stated late last week that the House would take up photo ID, and rumors continue to resonate in the Capitol that the House will once again pass the controversial measure for the fourth straight year. 

Why is it that that the GOP would rather disenfranchise 200,000 eligible voters than pass health care reform or pass a reasonable budget?   Why is the GOP focusing on photo IDs the year after the state experienced a huge voter turnout -- without a single reported instance of voter impersonation fraud?

The answer is simple: The GOP is worried. They hold only one of five statewide offices and lost the gubernatorial election by 19 points.  And the House is within reach for Democrats in 2010.

Moreover, the party of "fiscal conservatives" doesn't mind passing a bill with a $10 MILLION pricetag if it means they will have a permanent electoral edge built into the state constitution.