OUR VIEW -- Bill fosters faith in voting results
Potential for fraud lessened by photo IDs.

One person, one vote.

Our system of representative government relies on people having the opportunity to make their voices heard in free and fair elections. The process breaks down,however, if people believe the system is rife with fraud. Legislators in Jefferson City are working on a bill that would require voters to have photo identification in order to cast a ballot. This means that voters would have to have either a driver's license or a state-issued photo identification card.

This is a simple, straight-forward approach to providing security and peace of mind for voters who want to know that cheaters aren't improperly influencing an election.

For most people, the new provisions that this bill introduces will not be ahassle. The majority of voters in the state already have driver's licenses. The people who would possibly be affected are either too elderly to still safely drive a car, disabled, too poor to afford a car, or they are voters who have religious objections to carrying photo identification. Critics estimate that 200,000people statewide fall into those categories.

One of the best elements about this piece of legislation is that it would provide what basically amounts to a two-year grace period for people who don't have proper identification and are slow in getting it. (Some Amish and Mennonite believers object to carrying ID.)

The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Delbert Scott, R-Lowry City, would go into effect in time for November's general election. Voters who don't have the photo identification can still cast a provisional ballot this year and in every election untilthe general election in November 2008. Additionally, disabled voters, voters over 65 and those who have religious objections to photo identification will also be able to cast provisional ballots in all elections. That will not expire. The bill also improves provisional ballots, which allow voters whose registration is questionable to cast a vote subject to the verification of their voting status.

Previously, provisional ballots only applied to state and federal races. Now, they will be available for all local races.

An election in the state of Missouri will not be certified until all of the provisional ballots have been counted or ruled ineligible.

Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, a Democrat, criticizes the bill for several reasons, including the option of using provisional ballots. She points out that in the 2004 election, 8,000 provisional ballots were cast statewide, but only 3,000 were certified. Carnahan asserts that the provisional ballot process keeps too many people from having their votes counted.

But Carnahan's numbers sound about right to Greene County Clerk Richard Struckhoff. That's not because the system didn't work. Most of the provisional ballots cast in Greene County didn't count because voters did not register properly or cast ballots in the wrong polling places. Voters have to take some responsibility for making sure that they're in the right place and that they have registered prior to the deadline.

This new photo identification law, if passed, will add a layer of trust to the state's voting process. It also provides several ways to help those who don't have photo ID to obtain it. These include:

• A toll-free telephone number that goes to the secretary of state's office to help people who have questions about the requirements.
• A quick response team made up of state officials to help people who are having trouble getting their photo ID.
• An annual report that the Department of Revenue is required to provide to the legislature so lawmakers can see how the program is working.
• A joint committee on voter protection to make sure that the transition process is going smoothly.

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