The debate over election laws

By: Jonathon Jain

As Democrats describe proposed legislation as reminiscent of poll taxes and literacy tests, Republicans are defending the measures as necessary for election integrity. During a news conference Tuesday, House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, accused Republicans of enacting legislation that would disproportionately harm Black Missourians and other people of color. The debate over election laws is heated, both in Missouri and across the country. On Tuesday, as state Democrats made allusions to historic voter suppression efforts, a Republican said they are trying to keep their voters “in the proverbial political plantation.” “No one, not even Republicans if they’re being honest, really believe that the push for a strict voter ID law and other voting restrictions are intended to combat voting fraud,” Quade said. “The reality is such measures are intended to combat voting by minority groups that don’t support Republicans.”

See more in this weeks Boone County Journal