JEFFERSON CITY – Democrat Sen. Frank Barnitz tore a page out of John Kerry’s political playbook yesterday by voting against a voter identification bill then voting for a provision to allow the bill to take effect immediately after the governor signs it.

During the 2004 campaign, Kerry made the ridiculous statement that he voted for a military spending bill after he voted against it which is eerily similar to the bizarre approach Barnitz took on a Republican-backed Voter ID bill that would require government-issued photo identification at the polls.

Barnitz’ Kerry-like moment came when he voted against the compromise bill and then, within the space of a few minutes, voted in favor of an emergency clause that would allow the bill to go into effect immediately upon the governor’s signature. Without an emergency clause, bills generally do not go into effect immediately. The bill received final Senate approval by a 23-9 vote with only one Democrat voting for it.

“While Robin Carnahan, Jay Nixon and Claire McCaskill were using heavy-handed political tactics to force all but one Senate Democrat to vote against the compromise legislation, the wily Frank Barnitz sought to play both sides of the issue for political purposes,” said Paul Sloca, communications director for the Missouri Republican Party. “Frank Barnitz’ votes were designed to dupe voters back home into believing that he supported the legislation when in fact he opposed it. That logic didn’t work for John Kerry and it won’t work for Frank Barnitz. He will have to answer to his constituents for protecting voter fraud in Missouri.”