The person in charge of Pike County elections says she’s not worried if Missouri ends up requiring a photo identification to vote.

Melissa Kempke says some form of identification already is necessary and that adding the photo mandate won’t affect her office’s oversight of elections.

A joint resolution approved last week by the General Assembly directs Governor Jay Nixon to let voters decide the fate later this year of a constitutional amendment featuring the photo ID stipulation.

The issue has been divisive for a decade. A photo identification measure was struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court in 2006 and another attempt was vetoed by Nixon in 2011. Supporters say the amendment is needed to stop voter fraud. Opponents say it will disenfranchise many voters and lead to substantial costs.

If approved, people who do not bring state-issued proof of who they are could still cast a ballot by using a utility bill, bank statement or other approved identification, but they would have to sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury.

The amendment would also require the state to finance photo IDs for those who need one and if it can’t, the law could not be enforced.

The Washington Post noted Monday (May 16) that the 2016 presidential election will be the first in which two-thirds of states will mandate some form of identification to vote.