Yesterday I mentioned that Jeff Harris was using his campaign website to promote efforts against the Voter ID bill. Now Margaret Donnelly gets in on the action. There’s nothing on her website at the moment, but she did send an e-mail to her list (full text below the fold) asking supporters to contact their state senator and ask them to oppose the bill. I like the language in it – she calls this a continuation of the “the Republican attack on suffrage.” Interestingly, she only gives a general link to her website. Harris has a tool to mail an e-mail to state senators about Voter ID, while Donnelly directs you to the Missouri Senate website to look up and contact your senator.

Are there any other elected officials mobilizing like this against the Voter ID bill?

Dear Clark,

As the 94th General Assembly comes to an end, the Republican leadership has decided to spend the legislature’s last days debating and passing HJR 48, a ballot initiative to require Missouri citizens to have a government-issued photo identification card in order to vote.  The Republican attack on suffrage first started in the 2006 session as an attempt to boost the electoral chances of then U.S. Senator Jim Talent.  Their efforts failed then and now they are back this session in another desperate attempt to hold on to power against overwhelming voter discontent.

Voter ID legislation has been a “red herring” from its inception.  There has been no evidence in Missouri of voter impersonation fraud in the past 4 election cycles that requiring a photo ID would have prevented.  Even Governor Blunt, as Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005, described Missouri elections “free of fraud”.   HJR 48 would only create an insurmountable hurdle for many of Missouri’s elderly and new citizens.  Our country’s voting rights should be vigorously protected from fraud, but they should not be trampled on in an attempt to disenfranchise voters.  As your attorney general, I will oppose any attempt to weaken our voting rights, whether that be fraud or desperate politicians.

As the Missouri Senate prepares to debate HJR 48, I urge you to contact your state senator.  You can reach their office by calling the senate switch board at (573) 751-2000.  You can find the name of your state senator and state representative by clicking here.

Tell them to stand up for the rights of voters and vote NO on HJR 48.

Remember to check out our website at www.donnelly08.com for the latest news from the campaign trail!

Via a Clint Zweifel press release, Andria Simckes apparently supports the Missouri Civil Rights Initiative, which is actually a ballot initiative to ban affirmative action programs designed to improve opportunities for women and minorities. Historically, women have been the biggest beneficiaries of affirmative action programs, and everyone in society benefits from greater access to education and employment in traditionally disadvantaged groups. So it’s baffling that Simckes, an African American woman running in the Democratic primary for state treasurer, would support something like the MCRI.

I’m not sure if Simckes truly supports the ballot initiative, if she misspoke, or if she got fooled by the deceptive title. I’m hoping that the most generous scenario is the correct one.

UPDATE: That’s what I thought. Dave Drebes has the following statement from Simckes:

I support the right to equal opportunity for all Americans.  I am living proof of that opportunity.  My acceptances in the NASA-Lewis MARS Internship Program and Brown University are just two examples of how the right to equal opportunity has benefited me personally.  Affirmative Action is one of the most effective tools in beginning to level the playing field for women and minorities.  I have always and will continue to support everyone’s right to equal opportunity.

That’s good, but it’s unfortunate that a quote from a leading Democratic candidate can lend credence to an initiative she opposes.

To bloggers, that is. The Harris campaign hosted another conference call last night with Missouri bloggers. I don’t think any bombshells came out of the call. As one could expect, Harris was upbeat about the campaign in general and listed off a number of impressive recent endorsements and fundraising figures. He was restrained and respectful when talking about his primary opponents, as well, only mentioning Koster and Donnelly briefly when talking about fundraising.

I asked Harris two questions. He semi-dodged the first one, and to the second he gave a surprising answer. The first question was about the use of “New Media” in his campaign. Given his greater emphasis on blogger outreach than any other statewide campaign in Missouri, what approach was he taking to other forms of “New Media”, like Facebook, Myspace, text messaging, etc.? He gave a generic answer that among other things, his team would continue to be creative. I would have loved to have gotten more specifics, but the answer didn’t disappoint all that much. I mean, candidates don’t always have every specific detail about campaign statistics and strategy at their fingertips, and frankly, if Jeff Harris can rattle off the ins and outs of Facebook and Myspace, it would probably creep me out a little bit.

The second question I asked dealt with Harris’ experience as a legislator and how it might affect him as an AG. Here I thought he might give us some pablum about being closer to the people by his constant campaigning or superior constituent services or whatever. But his answer was pretty thoughtful – knowing the legislative process thoroughly would make him a better AG, because the AG’s office works closely with the legislature to make its job easier, whether it’s closing loopholes in current law or increasing funding to his office for better enforcement. It’s a wonky answer, but Jeff strikes me as a wonky politician.

I’ll let others chime in with their takes on the conversation, rather than bore everybody with a blow-by-blow.