Photo ID Voting Bill Clears House

The photo ID voting bill cleared the Missouri House and could be on its way to a House-Senate conference in which the differences in the two chambers’ versions will be ironed out. The vote, strictly along party lines, had 94 Republicans voting in favor of the bill and 65 Democrats voting against it. The House version differs slightly from the Senate version in that it would allow anyone without photo identification to cast a regular ballot in the 2006 election, provided that person is elderly or disabled, has religious objections to having his or her photograph taken, or can be identified by two poll workers at the voting station. The full photo ID requirement would become effective for the 2008 elections.