Voter ID trial continues Wednesday in Cole County

JEFFERSON CITY — The voter ID trial continued Wednesday in Jefferson City at the Cole County Courthouse.

The trial challenges Missouri's new voter photo identification law. Supporters of the new law said it helped prevent voter fraud. The state said they cannot comment on any ongoing litigation.

Members of the NAACP have testified throughout the week, expressing they believe the new law prevents certain groups from getting a fair chance to vote. They also said they do not believe the state has effectively informed the public about the current law.

Among those in court on Wednesday were student and NAACP member Dontay Phillips and NAACP President Nimrod Chapel Jr.

Phillips said students and millennials are among the groups affected by the new law, along with seniors, and people of color.

"Some students come with just their student ID, and may feel reluctant to approach the voting booth because they're under the impression they need a state ID," Phillips said. "I think that's misleading and can lead to voter suppression."

Chapel said the new law is not only unconstitutional but also was poorly communicated to the public, leaving many voters confused.

"One of the negotiations that was made when they were passing this is that they would insure that every Missourian knew that a change in law would occur," Chapel said. "Right? Sounds like a perfectly legitimate function of government to tell you when there's a new law. But they identified over 100,000 people who would not be able to vote in the way that they had and they still failed to notify them."

The trial is expected to conclude on Friday.