The problem with the Missouri Constitution–and it’s a problem that Republicans vow must be remedied–is that it insists people be allowed to vote.

“all persons . . . are entitled to equal rights and opportunity under the law,” Mo. Const. art. I, sec. 2 * “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. * “All citizens of the United States . . . over the age of eighteen who are residents of this state [**23] 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” Missouri. Mo. Const. art. VIII, sec. 2

Republicans already rammed their front fender into a Constitutional brick wall, when the Missouri Supreme Court ruled againt them two years ago based on this section of the Constitution. The Republican legislature had passed a law requiring proof of citizenship before a person could vote. A driver’s license, because it has a photo, would have sufficed for proof, or, failing that, a birth certificate. Nuh-uh, said the judges, and called it an attempt “to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage.”

All right then, say the Rs, we’ll fix that pesky Constitution. We’ll amend it to require proof of citizenship. Because there’s widespread vote fraud abroad in the land!

Oh, horsehocky.

The Assistant Secretary of State says that since 2000 there has been not one case of voter impersonation fraud reported in our state. Not one. As in zero. Zilch. The worst anybody knows about is that some schmuck voted absentee and then showed up at the polls to vote again. Nobody’s even sure whether that was a deliberate attempt at fraud or absentmindedness (excuse the pun).

But holy schlomoly, say Republicans. What if the guy comes back … and brings his friends?

As far as the Republicans are concerned, this amendment is to love because it helps the GOP on two fronts.

First, it will affect an estimated 240,000 Missouri voters, and the majority of them will be racial minorities (who tend to vote Democratic),the poor (who tend to vote Democratic),and students–who, if they don’t have a driver’s license, will find it inconvenient to schlep back home to obtain a birth certificate. (And who tend to vote Democratic.) The Secretary of State’s website tells us that 2,731,364 people cast votes in the last presidential election. We’ll probably top 3 million in the hotly contested race this November. 240,000 is a sizeable chunk of three million. Of course, they won’t all be Democrats, but a large majority will.

The second reason for a Republican legislator to love this amendment is that he gets to throw red meat to his base: “This’ll stop those derned immigrants from tryin’ to vote.” Um-hmmm. The sky is falling. And by the way, let’s fight al-Qaida in Iraq so the terrorists can’t follow us home. Get a grip. As the New York Times pointed out:

There is no evidence that voting by noncitizens is a significant problem. Illegal immigrants do their best to remain in the shadows, to avoid attracting government attention and risking deportation. It is hard to imagine that many would walk into a polling place, in the presence of challengers and police, and try to cast a ballot.

This amendment is a serious threat to Democrats in Missouri, and it’s especially worrisome that voters will rule on it in August, not in November. Republicans will turn out for the August election to decide the gubernatorial nomination. Democrats won’t have such a high visibility contest to draw them to the polls. The attorney general’s race just isn’t in the same league for most voters. (Maybe the Republicans who were pushing for Hulshof to be crowned as Blunt’s successor are, after all, grateful for Steelman’s stubborn challenge.)

So, if the amendment passes in August, then come November, we could lose 2-3 percent of our vote total. That’s enough Democratic votes to make the difference in whether Nixon is the next governor, enough to keep the Democratic presidential nominee from taking this state, and enough to shave a few seats off the advances we expect to gain the Missouri House and Senate.

And that’s just what it’ll do to us this year.

In horse races, the mount with the most winning record has to carry extra weight to make the race closer. Yeah, I know, Republicans are second rate nags and they need all the help they can get. But democracy ain’t supposed to be a horse race.

Correction: I neglected to mention that the voter ID amendment has not passed in the Senate yet. But it is expected to.