Opinion ID: 1630936
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Voting is a Fundamental Right, Particularly under the Missouri Constitution.

Text: The Missouri Constitution expressly guarantees that all elections shall be free and open; and no power, civil or military, shall at any time interfere to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage. Mo. Const. art. I, sec. 25. Additionally, rather than leaving the issue of voter qualification to the legislature, the Missouri Constitution has established an exclusive list of qualifications necessary to vote in Missouri. Mo. Const. art. VIII, sec. 2 (All citizens of the United States . . . over the age of eighteen who are residents of this state and of the political subdivision in which they offer to vote are entitled to vote at all elections by the people, if . . . they are registered within the time prescribed by law). These constitutional provisions establish with unmistakable clarity that the right to vote is fundamental to Missouri citizens. [14] The express constitutional protection of the right to vote differentiates the Missouri constitution from its federal counterpart. Federal courts also have consistently held that the right to vote is equally fundamental under the United States Constitution. See, e.g., Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533, 555 (1964) (The right to vote freely for the candidate of one's choice is of the essence of a democratic society); Wesberry v. Sanders, 376 U.S. 1, 17-18 (1964) (No right is more precious in a free country than that of having a voice in the election of those who make the laws under which, as good citizens, we must live). But, the right to vote in state elections is conferred under federal law only by implication, not by express guarantee . See Harper v. Virginia State Bd. Elections, 383 U.S. 663, 665 (1966) (the right to vote in state elections is nowhere expressly mentioned in the United States Constitution). Moreover, the qualifications for voting under the federal system are left to legislative determination, not constitutionally enshrined, as they are in Missouri. Compare U.S. Const. art. I, sec. 2 (providing that Electors shall be equivalent to those for state positions) with Mo. Const. art. VIII, sec. 2 (establishing exclusive qualifications for voting in Missouri). [15] Compare also U.S. Const. amend. XV (protecting right to vote from abridgment on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude) with Mo. Const. art. I, sec. 25 (protecting right to vote from all power, civil or military that interferes to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage). Due to the more expansive and concrete protections of the right to vote under the Missouri Constitution, voting rights are an area where our state constitution provides greater protection than its federal counterpart. See California v. Ramos, 463 U.S. 992, 1013-14 (It is elementary that States are free to provide greater protections . . . than the [f]ederal Constitution requires.); State v. Rushing, 935 S.W.2d 30, 34 (Mo. banc 1996) (Provisions of our state constitution may be construed to provide more expansive protections than comparable federal constitutional provisions.); State ex rel. J.D.S. v. Edwards, 574 S.W.2d 405, 409 (Mo. banc 1978) (holding that Missouri Constitution due process and equal protection clauses provide more protection than United States Constitution where United States Supreme Court precedent dilute[s] these important rights). [16] Of course, some regulation of the voting process is necessary to protect the right to vote itself. Such regulations are in place in all state and federal elections, and the Missouri Constitution further specifically delegates to the legislature the right to regulate registration. Mo. Const. art. VIII, sec. 5. In addition, many matters may tangentially affect voting, such as rules regarding who may run for office and how candidates are listed on ballots. For this reason, the extent of the burden this statute imposes on the right to vote must be evaluated before determining the level of scrutiny it will receive.