MAAY Foundation Condemns Signing of Onerous New Voter Suppression Bill

The Board of the Missouri Asian American Youth (MAAY) Foundation strongly condemns the signing of House Bill 1878 by Governor Mike Parson, which took place this Wednesday, June 29th, and is set to go into effect on August 28th, 2022. 

Despite the fact that Missouri already requires voters to present one of several forms of identification before they can cast their vote, H.B. 1878 will serve to impose further restrictions on what forms of voter-ID are acceptable. Once this legislation goes into effect, the only acceptable forms of voter ID would be a non-expired government-issued photo ID card (driver license, non-driver ID, or military ID), which eliminates several options that were previously available to Missouri voters, as depicted in the graphic below.

Forms of Voter ID Eliminated by H.B. 1878

This bill, which was brought forth under false allegations of widespread election fraud, will hinder voting access for thousands of Missourians across the state and disproportionately affects several demographics including rural voters, voters with disabilities, college students, low-income voters, and racial and ethnic minorities.

Despite these new barriers that this legislation presents, the MAAY Foundation is committed to continuing to work with AAPI and other communities in conducting voter outreach and education. In doing so, we hope to ensure that all affected voters are aware of the new requirements and have all of the resources and information needed to continue exercising their constitutional right to vote.