Happy Friday, Show Mo Facts supporters! In today’s blog post, we’ll evaluate and fact-check a Facebook post by Missouri State Senator, Sandy Crawford. Crawford is the current State Senator for the 28th district, representing Benton, Cedar, Dallas, Hickory, Laclede, Pettis, Polk, and St. Clair counties. Crawford is the incumbent for her district and has won the Republican primary to continue her re-election campaign.
Even though Crawford is unopposed in the general election, it is still essential to determine whether senators deserve re-election, especially when they are already making decisions at the state capitol. Furthermore, Republicans across the state are likely to use this bill to advance their campaigns. As Missouri voters, it is crucial that we understand how the laws passed by our legislators affect us.
Claim: Missouri HB1878, supported by Crawford, advances election integrity.
Fact: HB 1878 was passed by the MO legislature and approved by Governor Parson on June 29, 2022. The main and most controversial provision of this law is the photo ID requirement. In the past, Missouri Republicans have tried passing stricter voter ID requirements under the guise of election integrity.
HB 1878 was formulated in the summer of 2021 when legislative hearings were fraught with conspiracy theories regarding election security in the 2020 election, even though there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could have changed the election outcome.
In 2017, 138,000 registered voters in Missouri did not have a state photo ID. Under HB 1878, these 138,000 people would no longer be able to cast their ballots. Furthermore, ownership of photo IDs is disproportionately lower among Black and Hispanic communities, lower-income individuals, and young adults aged 17-24. Even if these individuals wanted to obtain a photo ID to vote, the document fees, travel expenses, and waiting time to get their birth certificate for the photo ID would cost around $75 to $175 (ACLU, 2021).
If you are a busy student, a working-class citizen working for minimum wage, working multiple jobs to sustain your family, are part of a minority group, have a disability, or do not have a car, this bill creates barriers against your right to vote!
It is no surprise that Republican candidates, including Crawford, favor HB 1878. Statistics by the Pew Research Center indicate that individuals with low financial security and racial and ethnic minority groups including Blacks, Hispanics, and Asian Americans are more likely to vote for Democrats. It is beneficial for the Republicans to pass HB 1878 because the votes that it is likely to curtail are those that would go to their opponents.
HB 1878 is relevant to all Missourians. Measures of election integrity should not just be about preventing fraud, it should be about accessibility– allowing all voices to be heard. While Crawford accurately spells out the various provisions involved in HB1878, she does not accurately present its impacts. Crawford is appealing to conservative voters’ fears of voter fraud, even though there is no evidence behind it because it benefits her campaign. Because Crawford engages in a fear appeal, we rate this Facebook post HIGH on our Pants on Fire O-Meter. Election integrity should never involve barriers to specific groups of individuals, especially when those votes are likely to challenge those in power. A healthy democracy functions when all individuals have an equal ability to cast their votes.
Thank you for reading Show Mo Facts! Be sure to follow us on Twitter as well as like and comment on this post. Also, send us any ads that you see and would like us to cover through our Contact page. If you’d like to check out another blog from our class, we recommend Gateway To Facts. They are fact-checking the MO DNC. Find them here!
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