The Missouri Senate Committee on Local Government and Elections conducted a public hearing on House Bill 1878 on April 6, 2022. The bill would modify Missouri’s voter identification requirements as follows: 

• Voters casting absentee ballots in person would be required to present photo identification. 
• A voter without the required photo identification would be permitted to vote by provisional ballot upon completing an affidavit. If the voter subsequently submits a valid form of identification, or an election official verifies the voter’s identity by matching the signature on the provisional ballot envelope against the signature on file, the ballot would be counted. 

The Missouri House of Representatives approved HB 1878 with a 96-35 vote on March 10, largely along party lines. One Democrat joined 95 Republicans in favor of the bill, and one Republican joined 34 Democrats in opposition. 

The Missouri General Assembly is a bicameral legislature composed of a 34-member Senate and a 163-member House of Representatives. The 2022 session convened on Jan. 5 and will adjourn on May 13. Thirteen bills and resolutions have been passed as of April 14. Ballotpedia is currently tracking 20 election-related bills in Missouri. 

Missouri is one of 23 Republican state government trifectas in the U.S. The Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the General Assembly. There is a 24-10 Republican majority in the Senate and a 108-49 majority in the House.