Party Affiliation Voter Registration Discussed in Jeff City

Missouri voters would be given the option to register with a political party under a bill heard by house lawmakers Wednesday.

The bill would add party affiliation to the voter registration form. Missourians would choose one of five political parties or unaffiliated. The person’s preference would be stored along with other voter data and included on voter ID cards.

Bill sponsor and Republican Representative Dan Stacy said people are often proud of their membership in a political party.

At the hearing Democrats said the legislation was unnecessary and warned there could be numerous unintended consequences if a person’s party affiliation became publicly available information.

Democratic Representative Donna Baringer said the legislation was unnecessary and unappealing to some.

In partisan primaries, voters could still choose any ballot, regardless of party affiliation.

*submitted via Missouri News Network