By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – The Missouri Supreme Court Monday struck down the state's controversial voter ID law.
The measure would have required anyone casting a ballot to present a valid photo identification. And it also required the state to give free IDs to those without them.
But in a 6-1 ruling, the court said the law is unconstitutional because it "creates a heavy burden on the fundamental right to vote."
Thor Hearne is an attorney for supporters of the measure. He says there are no immediate plans for an appeal to the federal courts.
This is something that I hope the legislature addresses again, looks at this court's opinion and tries to fix this, because we clearly have an issue in Missouri with vote fraud. And we clearly have a concern that the legislature is, Hearne said.
The law's opponents argued that the I-D requirement would disenfranchise the poor, elderly and disabled.
Attorney Don Downing represented those fighting the law.
"This ruling is clearly a victory for all Missourians who cherish the right to vote," Downing said. "And the Supreme Court's ruling affirms that the right to vote is a fundamental cornerstone of our democracy."
Many Missouri Democrats held that the true aim of the measure was to keep Democratic voters away from the polls.