Missouri's Long Fight Over Voting Rules Is Now Part Of A Larger National Battle

The same day last month that Georgia's legislature passed a controversial new voting bill, Missouri's Republican-led House approved one of its own. It would impose strict photo ID and other requirements on voting.

Both bills are part of a wave of measures proposed across the country after the 2020 elections, and reflect a deep partisan divide over who has access to the polls and how. The divide is not new, but the sides have become increasingly entrenched.

Voting rights activists who gathered recently on the steps of the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City know they're part of a much bigger struggle. They represent groups — the NAACP, the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, Black faith organizations and others — that are fighting restrictive voting laws across the country.

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