McCaskill Introduces Bill To Fight Voter Suppression

MISSOURI — Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill has introduced a bill aimed at curbing voter suppression. Co-sponsored by Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, Alabama Sen. Doug Jones and Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy — all Democrats — the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act would criminalize the intentional spreading of misinformation, including publishing false polling locations or election dates, or misleading voters about necessary forms of identification required to cast a ballot.

“At a time when voting rights are being attacked and chipped away — from state legislatures to the Supreme Court — we’ve got to redouble our efforts to protect every Missourian’s right to vote,” McCaskill said. “Misinformation campaigns intended only to suppress the vote and disenfranchise Missourians are crimes that run counter to our democratic values, and the punishment for those actions should fit the crime.”

The bill calls voting a fundamental right, and would impose a $100,000 find and up to five years in prison on anyone found to be intentionally misleading voters.

As for why the legislation is needed, proponents cite a false election advisory sent in 2016 to students at Bates College in Maine that falsely stated voters must pay to change their driver's licenses and re-register their vehicles before they could vote in local elections.

"This includes a Maine state vehicle inspection requirement," the notice read. "Usually hundreds of dollars in total."

Such false notices can mislead voters into staying home, depriving them of their right to vote, according to the bill's sponsors.

McCaskill has previously spoken out against Missouri's voter ID law, saying it makes it harder for seniors and minorities to vote, and has supported a bill to restore the Voting Rights Act, which was gutted by a 2013 Supreme Court decision, Shelby County v. Holder. In the wake of that decision, several states passed voter ID laws and other measures Democrats say are thinly-disguised voter suppression efforts.

McCaskill is expected to have a tough reelection ahead of her in 2018, and hanging on to her seat will be key to Democratic hopes of retaking the Senate. She confirmed yesterday that her office had been targeted by Russian Hackers, releasing a statement calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a "thug and a bully."

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