As an advocate for free, fair and accessible elections in Missouri, I urge you to veto Missouri H.B. 1878 when it comes to your desk. This measure upsets the balance of powers in elections, and creates undue and needless barriers to participation for Missouri's voters.

H.B. 1878 upends the balance of power by giving expanded rights to partisan lawmakers over the executive branch in legal challenges. H.B. 1878 makes it illegal to pay anyone for voter registration, hampering organizations whose staff do voter registration as part of their work; prohibits any election changes within 6 months of election day (which would have blocked lawmakers from allowing mail-in voting for the 2020 elections during the pandemic); and makes it illegal to make absentee ballot applications available to voters. It also expands the Secretary of State's discretion to open investigations and order removal of voters from the roll; and opens the door to privately contracted election audits outside of audit best practices.

H.B. 1878 would implement strict photo ID requirements to vote, eliminating forms of ID Missourians rely upon to identify themselves at the polls, limitations that the Missouri Supreme Court has previously found violate Missourians' right to vote. It also includes two weeks of no-excuse absentee voting, which is eliminated if the photo ID provision is struck down.

The ability of all Missourians across the political spectrum to cast a ballot lies at the heart of a functioning democracy. We should be working to reduce barriers to participation, not make voting harder. As Missouri's governor, I urge you to veto this discriminatory and unnecessary bill.