In Victory for St. Louis Voters, Court Judge Sets Hearing for Remaining Issues

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ST. LOUIS–Hours after the ACLU filed a lawsuit seeking immediate action on behalf of voters in tomorrow’s mayoral primaries, a court here issued an order barring election judges from turning away registered voters who can affirm that they are entitled to vote in their precincts.

“The voters protected by tonight’s ruling are some of the very same people who were sent downtown to the Election Board office in November and never got to vote,” said ACLU of Eastern Missouri Executive Director Matt LeMieux. “We hope that this court ruling will alleviate some of the problems and keep some St. Louis voters from being disenfranchised.”

Circuit Judge Robert H. Dierker also set a hearing to address some of the other concerns raised by the class action lawsuit, including the lack of assistance at polling places for voters who need help, the absence of sample balloting machines at polling places and inadequate voting equipment.

“Our goal is to make sure that registered voters are given the proper means to cast their ballots,” added LeMieux. “We believe tonight’s ruling is a positive step in that direction.”

The case was filed by the ACLU of Eastern Missouri, Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and Mound City Bar Association on behalf of ten registered voters and others who were turned away from the polls in November.