A top backer of Missouri's new photo identification voting law derided by critics as a disenfranchising poll tax says any registered voter can cast a ballot, with or without a photo ID.
The new law that takes effect Thursday is a state constitutional amendment approved by Missouri voters last November.
It generally requires photo IDs for voting, though provisions allow voting with just a utility bill or paycheck and a sworn statement of identity. Voters still can cast a provisional ballot.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports about two dozen people gathered Wednesday outside of St. Louis' downtown Old Courthouse to decry the measure. They argue it'll make it more difficult for Democratic constituencies to vote.
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft counters that such criticism is meant to mislead Missourians on the issue.