FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, August 18, 2006
Contact: Stacie Temple, (573) 526-5076
Contact: Carrie Bebermeyer, (573) 526-0949

Office of Secretary of State Releases Mailing List Of 240,000 Voters Who May Not Have Valid Photo IDs Needed to Vote in November

Jefferson City, Missouri -- Secretary of State Robin Carnahan today released a list of approximately 240,000 registered voters who may not have the photo IDs they will need to vote in November, as part of her "Show Your Face at the Polls" initiative.

Under the state's new photo ID law (SB 1014), the Secretary of State's office is tasked with notifying voters of the new ID requirements while the Department of Revenue is assigned the responsibility of issuing the IDs to the thousands of Missourians who need them.

To aid in these efforts, the Secretary of State's office generated a list of potential affected voters by electronically comparing the state's voter registration database with the Department of Revenue's driver's and non-driver's license database. Since two separate database systems developed and maintained by two different state agencies were used to compile the data, the list is not 100% accurate and some of the individuals on the list may already have a photo ID.

The primary use for the list is to mail information regarding the new requirements directly to those voters who do not have a photo ID. However, Carnahan says that the mailing list is only one of many tools her office is using to notify voters of the new requirements.

"It's my job to protect the rights of all Missouri voters," Carnahan said. "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."

Carnahan's office shared the data with the Department of Revenue in order to assist them in targeting their mobile unit visits and any other outreach efforts to issue photo IDs at locations where potential voters without the proper IDs reside.

The Secretary of State's office will also make the mailing list available to elected officials, businesses and other organizations as requested. Since SB 1014 was signed, Carnahan's office has been training partners in the business community, civic organizations, churches and other groups to not only spread the word about the new ID requirements, but to help people pull together all of the documents they'll need to get a photo ID from their local Department of Revenue license office. The office has also set up a web site at www.MoVoterID.com and a toll-free number (888-488-VOTE) to answer questions regarding the photo ID requirements.

Download the estimated number of potential affected voters

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