Mary Merritt passed away from COVID-19 on Jan. 15. A 50-year League member, Mary was serving as President of LWV of Sedalia-Pettis County. She formerly served as LWVMO president and treasurer. Devoted to the League, she worked with Ragar Banners to sell League merchandise for over 25 years. She loved traveling to League conventions and meeting customers face to face.

Mary was a wonderful hostess for League meetings in Sedalia and her guests will always remember the hearty soups she served. She is pictured in the red sweater in this photo of a state board meeting she hosted in 2018.

The League of Women Voters of Missouri (LWVMO), a non-partisan organization, is concerned that elected officials who aided and abetted the recent insurrection on the United States violated their oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Voters should be able to cast a ballot in 2021 without fear of getting or spreading COVID-19. Provisions to allow absentee voting for those who have or are at high risk of COVID-19 and provide remote voting options for Missouri voters expire on Dec. 31, 2020. Urge Governor Mike Parson to extend safe voting provisions to ensure that all Missourians can safely cast ballots during the 2021 municipal elections. Sign the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition’s petition at https://actionnetwork.org/…/tell-gov-parson-to-extend…&

The League’s Register & Vote brochure has information on Missouri’s voting laws.

Voters narrowly approved Amendment 3 on Nov. 3, overturning redistricting reforms voters approved two years ago. As legislative redistricting proceeds under the new rules in 2021, the League will continue to fight for fair maps. 

A committee headed by Sharon Schneeberger of Columbia hopes Missouri will follow the PACT guidelines proposed by Dr. Sheldon H. Jacobson of the University of Illinois.

P: People over politics in carrying out the redistricting process.
A: Accountability of those involved in making the maps.
C: Compromise in making decisions about the goals.
T: Transparency in each step of the process.

Amendment 3 could allow twice the level of gerrymandering typically described as “severe,” but it doesn’t have to. The League is especially concerned about language calling for “one person one vote” since it could make Missouri the only state not using the total population count when drawing legislative districts. That would leave out 1.5 million Missouri children. Click here for a study by the Brennan Center for Justice that calls it a serious obstacle to communities of color receiving fair representation.

“We are committed to ensuring as fair an outcome as possible when new maps are drawn,” says Clean Missouri’s Sean Nicholson. “Amendment 3 was written to allow for truly radical gerrymandering, but it does not require it. The broad bipartisan coalition that passed Clean Missouri will be active and engaged in the 2021 redistricting process to ensure that voters and communities come first in new maps, not politicians.”

The fiscal note for Amendment 3 said “Individual local governmental entities expect significant decreased revenues of a total unknown amount.” Click here to read the full text.

Click here for information on People Powered Fair Maps, the LWVUS national redistricting program.

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled against the state chapters of the League of Women Voters and NAACP in their absentee ballot lawsuit on Oct. 9. The petitioners sought to protect the right to vote guaranteed by the Missouri Constitution and waive the notary requirement for absentee and mail-in ballots in 2020 elections.

“We are disappointed that the court didn’t waive the notary rule to protect voters’ health during the pandemic,” said LWVMO President Evelyn Maddox. “We are grateful, however, for the justices’ reminder that absentee rules leave it to the voter to determine if they expect to be confined due to illness on Election Day.” Voters can use the second excuse to vote absentee without a notary if they expect to be confined due to illness or are caring for someone who is ill or disabled.

August 2020 marked the centennial of the final ratification of the 19^th Amendment.

At the League’s virtual celebration, author Nicole Evelina shared the story of Virginia Minor, the Missouri suffragist who wanted to vote and took her case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1874!

The celebration included a virtual tour of the Historical Exhibit “She Got the Vote” from the Boone County History & Culture Center. Click here for a video shared by the St. Louis League.

On August 4, Missouri became the 38th state to approve Medicaid Expansion. Voters narrowly approved Amendment 2 “to adopt Medicaid Expansion for persons 19 to 64 years old with an income level at or below 133% of the federal poverty level.”  This will apply to individuals making under $17,000 or couples earning under $23,000 per year.

Oklahoma voters also recently approved Medicaid Expansion. Experiences in other states have shown improved health outcomes and cost savings. In Missouri, more than 90,000 children and 23,000 adults lost their coverage in the past year. Amendment 2 would make it easier for 230,000 low-income Missourians to see their doctors and receive needed medical services. Amendment 2 is designed to create thousands of health care jobs and increase state revenue by nearly $2 billion a year.

Since 2014, by not expanding Medicaid, Missouri has turned away over $15.5 billion which could have been used to improve our health care. The Center for Health Economics and Policy at Washington University conducted an analysis and concluded that Missouri Medicaid Expansion is budget neutral with possible savings of $39 million. Other independent studies have shown cost savings could reach $1 billion per year by 2026.

The League of Women Voters supports Medicaid Expansion. For a narrated PowerPoint presentation, click here.

LWVMO developed an urgent resolution “Racial Justice for Black People and All People of Color” that was overwhelmingly approved at the LWVUS National Convention. More than 20 state leagues cosponsored the resolution to advocate throughout our country for the eradication of systemic racism within every level of government; for the end of excessive force and brutality in law enforcement; and for equal protection under the law regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, disability, and gender identity or sexual orientation.

A ruling in the Priorities USA case earlier this year said election authorities cannot require voters without a photo ID to sign an affidavit to have their vote count. On the last day of session, the legislature passed SB631 which specifies that voters who are ill or at high risk of contracting COVID-19 can cast an absentee ballot without a notary; and allows all other voters in Missouri to vote by mail, with a notary. The new statute doesn’t waive the notary requirement for healthy voters under age 65.  

An attempt to tighten the state’s photo ID law was withdrawn from SB 631; therefore, several non-photo IDs remain acceptable to vote. The list includes a military or student ID, current utility bill or bank statement, voter notification card from the election authority, or other government document. Voters casting a ballot in person must present a valid form of ID to vote. Voters casting ballots by mail must submit a copy of their ID if they are voting for the first time since registering in the jurisdiction.