Carnahan finds 240,000 voters may lack state ID

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Secretary of State Robin Carnahan said Friday that her office has determined that about 240,000 registered voters may lack proper identification for voting under a new state law.

Gov. Matt Blunt signed a law in June requiring people to show a photo ID issued by Missouri or the federal government to cast a ballot starting in November. Using U.S. Census data and license records, his administration estimated that about 170,000 voting-age Missourians lack such an ID but said that figure includes some who won't or can't vote, such as felons, immigrants or those with mental disabilities.

Carnahan's office separately compared the Revenue Department's files of those with a driver's license or state ID card to its own files of registered voters, which are based on information from local election officials.

The office acknowledged the result isn't perfect and may include some who already have IDs but said the effort will help direct mailings to those most in need of a photo ID card.

"It's my job to protect the rights of all Missouri voters," Carnahan said in a statement. "Communicating directly with voters who may not have the photo ID they will need to vote in November is a critical part of our notification efforts."

The secretary of state analysis found, not surprisingly, that areas with greater population had higher numbers of voters lacking IDs.

, including 46,835 in St. Louis County, 22,527 in St. Louis city, 18,373 in Kansas City, 10,365 in surrounding Jackson County and 11,787 in Greene County.

Carnahan also gave the information to revenue officials, who are charged with providing free ID cards through local license offices and mobile units that visit nursing homes and other centers for the elderly and disabled.

"At this time we are not sure of the usefulness of this data since even the secretary of state's office itself admits that some people on the list may already have a photo ID," department spokeswoman Maura Browning said.

The 240,000 estimate doesn't tell the whole story. As Carnahan's office notes, it relies on data from two separate systems and from local election officials, which can be lacking. Missouri also has been criticized for having inflated voter rolls and has been sued by the federal government for not properly removing ineligible voters from its rolls.

Also, not all registered voters actively vote. Nearly two-thirds of Missouri voters cast a vote for president in 2004, and far fewer typically turn out in nonpresidential years like this one. In addition, people who vote by absentee ballot don't need to meet the new ID requirement.

"The number of free IDs that we issue may never get to the level people think it should. Voting is a right but it's not exercised by everyone," Browning said.

The department began its mobile ID unit visits this week, with stops in Bethany and Brookfield. Another is scheduled Monday in St. Joseph. In the two stops, the agency's mobile unit equipment worked as it should, Browning said, and 19 people were signed up for ID cards, which they should receive through the mail shortly.

Generally, the agency contacted various nursing homes and other centers around the state and worked with them so people had the documents they would need when the mobile unit arrived. A couple of walk-ins also showed up, but they had the paperwork needed and were also processed, she said.

"Our greatest challenge is that there doesn't seem to be the demand that we expected," Browning said.

Local license offices also have issued 1,266 free ID cards through Thursday, she said.

Two lawsuits have been filed challenging the voter ID requirements as unconstitutional, and a hearing is set for Monday.

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On the Net:

Voter ID Information:

Carnahan: www.MoVoterID.com

Revenue: http://www.dor.mo.gov/mvdl/drivers/voterid.htm