The right to vote—a right protected by the United States Constitution, a right that, for some Saint Louis University and other Missouri college students, may be affected by proposed Missouri state government legislation.

Missouri State Senate bill three (SB3) and Missouri House of Representatives bill 329 (HB329) are the two pieces of legislation that if passed would propose various changes to the voter registration procedure, specifically to voter identification.

According to both SB3 and HB329, as found on the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives websites respectively, voters would be required to present valid forms of identification in order to cast their ballots. Such forms of identification would include a non-expired Missouri driver’s license and non-driver’s identification card, photo-identification issued by the state national guard, by the United States military or by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Thus, Saint Louis University students would be affected by this legislation because no longer would their student IDs or out-of-state driver’s licenses be valid.

The prospect of some students losing their privilege to vote in the Busch Student Center is the focus of a student-authored petition.

Created by College of Arts and Sciences students Patrick Grillot, sophomore, and Thomas Bloom, senior, the petition entitled “SLU Students for Voters’ Rights” has been circulating online and garnering support from students.

Grillot said the goal of the petition is to organize students around this issue and to bring awareness. He is opposed to the legislation because he feels it will “disenfranchise” voters.

Bloom said his goal with the petition is to provide the students with a voice on the issue.

“In Jefferson City, they don’t expect us to speak up,” Bloom said. “They think we are disengaged and apathetic and that we will silently watch as they dismantle our fundamental right to vote. I want to prove them wrong.”

Currently, 1,509 students are registered to vote in the BSC. Unless, their permanent address resides in the precinct associated with the BSC polling place, those students would have their voting registration voided under the proposed legislation, unless they took measures to register for an approved form of identification.

Grillot stressed that students who currently are not registered to vote at the BSC polling place should still be mindful of this legislation.

“If they were ever to be registered to vote here,

[the legislation] can affect them,” Grillot said.

Grillot himself is not registered to vote in the BSC.
While the petition continues to gather signatures, there are students who will not be signing in support of an opposition to the legislation.

College of Arts and Sciences senior Danny Laub gives his reasoning.

“In the most simplistic sense possible, it’s a matter of election integrity,” Laub says. “We live in a state where elections have been decided by a handful of votes per precinct and where every vote matters.”

Laub said that no matter if individuals believe voter fraud has occurred or not, a “policy of being proactive rather than reactive is usually a good idea.”

Laub said he believes the legislation to solely be about “voter legitimacy” and not about partisan politics or any other issue.

Though Laub states the legislation is not about partisanship or political ploys, two student organizations, College Democrats and College Republicans, each have their views on the legislation.

Brenna Medlin is president of College Republicans and has similar statements on the legislation as compared to Laub.

“We as College Republicans feel this legislation will not put an undue burden on students and will do a lot to stop voter fraud,” Medlin said. “Fair and honest elections are the cornerstone of our great democracy. We must ensure that we protect our right to vote.”

Max Jordan, president of College Democrats, is also passionate about protecting the right to vote. Jordan is in opposition to the bill.

“The student population is moving in the direction of having more out-of-state students,” Jordan said. “We feel it is our obligation to speak out when students are being disenfranchised.”

Jordan said he, as representative of College Democrats, is in opposition to the bills as they are currently written for the reason of if students have the right to attend school in the state of Missouri, they should also have the right to vote in the state.

“There should be safe and secure elections, and we support that,” Jordan said. “We also support the people’s right to vote, in any form.”

While students continue to either voice their support or opposition to the legislation, the bills continue their journey through the Missouri state government.

The Missouri Senate has already voted on the legislation, passing it 26-7.

District five, under which SLU falls, state senator Robin Wright-Jones (D) voted in opposition to the bill. Calls to the office of Wright-Jones were unreturned.

The legislation now faces the House vote. If passed by the House, the bills will be combined to form one constitutional amendment. The amendment will then be subjected to the choice of voters, as it would appear on the ballot in the next schedule election.

Even though the legislation has not yet taken effect, or passed for that matter, it is already the basis of a campus debate and the conversation will continue as the legislation moves forward.