‘We want to see justice’
By Chris King
Of the St. Louis American
“We are a group of people who want to see justice,” the Rev. James T. Morris, pastor at Lane Tabernacle CME Church, said of a working group of activists and clergy that met with state officials last week at his home church on 910 N. Newstead Ave.
The project is to train case workers to assist Missouri voters in obtaining the photo IDs they will need in order to vote in November, according to a new law.
Answering the call for the meeting regarding Missouri’s new Voter ID Law was a mix of state officials, local clergy and voting rights activists, many of them members of Local 2000 of Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
“This law is designed to disenfranchise African Americans,” Morris said, “and in addition, elderly people and people with disabilities. Historically, we vote Democrat.”
In attendance at the Lane Tabernacle meeting were Barbara Black, president of Local 2000; officials from the office of Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, the Missouri Department of Revenue, and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services; the Rev. Ken McCoy of Blackwell AME Zion Church; the Rev. Anthony Witherspoon of Metropolitan AME Zion Church; the Rev. Elston McCowan of Star Grace MB Church; and 38 activists, who came to be trained to assist Missouri residents in complying with the new Voter ID Law.
“Our members are very much engaged in finding out about this new law and problems involved with it,” said Black, the first African-American woman to lead Local 2000.
“I saw anger and disquiet, as the law was explained. This is just another tack to set us back.”
Morris said, “They were really fed up about it. They blasted the Republican Legislature. A couple of people called it a racist act.”
Black said that the working group includes members of the local who voted for the first time in the most recent election. SEIU members work in occupations that include probation and parole officers, nursing home workers, mental health care workers and custodians.
“This legislation is very discouraging to first-time voters,” Black said.
“But we are encouraged to move forward and keep educating people and get the vote out.”
Morris said the next workshop is being planned for a date in August. “We want to train people, and over the next two months get them out in the field,” Morris said.
He said the case workers are being instructed to ask their pastors to speak during the announcement period at church service and to set up a table at their home churches for several consecutive Sundays, where they could advise congregants on meeting the requirements of the new law.
‘Show your face at the polls’
For Carnahan’s office, the meeting at Lane Tabernacle last Wednesday served as a preliminary to a major education campaign called “Show Your Face at the Polls” that it launched on Monday, accompanied by a website, www.MoVoterID.com.
The new law tasks the secretary of state’s office with notifying Missouri voters of the new ID requirement, while it assigns the Department of Revenue the responsibility of issuing IDs to the thousands of Missourians who need them.
No additional funds were appropriated to fulfill these mandates, which partly forms the basis of a lawsuit against the legislation that was subsequently filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri.
“We’re confident the Hancock Amendment offers a clear opportunity to have the Voter ID Law declared unconstitutional because of the multitude of mandates being placed on all the counties in the state,” said Burt Newman, one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit.
As the suit – and at least one other that the state Democratic party has said will be filed – awaits the verdict of the courts, the Missouri Democratic Party continued its own education campaign this week.
The state party encouraged registered Democrat voters to contact the Missouri Department of Revenue to get a list of the locations where they can obtain government-issued identification and to get more information on the documents they will need in order to do so.
The number at Missouri Department of Revenue is (866) 443-4165, and Revenue’s website is www.dor.mo.gov.
The party also wants to hear from anyone having any trouble obtaining the required identification. Call the Missouri State Democratic Party at (573) 636-5241 or e-mail voterid@missourdems.org. Individuals are likely to be included as plaintiffs in a second suit against the legislation.
“We hope to reach not only those voters who do not currently have a valid photo ID, but also their friends and family members who can help them through the process,” said Carnahan.
“In addition, we want to remind all voters, including those who have the necessary photo ID, to remember to bring it to the polls in November.”
Carnahan said she is committed to ensuring that the new law will not get in the way of Missourians’ constitutional right to vote and have that vote counted.
Carnahan said, “There is nothing more sacred to our democracy than our right to vote.”
For more information on the new law, visit www.MoVoterID.com.
