Today, Missourians will be voting for more than our country’s next president—they will be voting for state senators, local judges and even ballot measures like Amendment 6, which would make it difficult for hundreds of thousands of eligible Missouri voters to cast their ballots in future elections.
How, you ask?
Amendment 6 would require registered voters to present a DMV-issued photo ID before voting. This would ultimately create a burden on the many seniors, students, women, people of color, persons with disabilities and veterans—all communities who use the power of the vote to make sure their voice is counted.
If Amendment 6 is passed, some 220,000 registered Missouri voters could—at the very least—face problems casting a ballot, while others would be turned away from voting altogether.
David Meinell, a member of the Machinists and president of the Missouri Alliance for Retired Americans, understands the importance of voting NO on Amendment 6. In a video for Protect MO Voters, David explains that Amendment 6 will not only make it harder for veterans who rely on their military IDs to vote, but also create a hardship for many military people "because they will no longer be able to use their military ID" if the amendment passes.
This is certainly not how we should be treating our veterans and active duty military who risk their lives fighting for the safety and security of our country. In fact, it is important that we stand up for our brothers and sisters who would be impacted if this harmful legislation passes. After all, this is a critical element of our labor movement, and nobody should feel left out of the process.
We encourage people to watch David’s video because it is important that we understand the negative impact Amendment 6 can have on our state and its people.
Art Kessler is the president of the Greater Springfield AFL-CIO, and Mark Baker is the Southeast Missouri AFL-CIO president.