Election security is top of mind for Republican Denny Hoskins, who was elected to be Missouri’s next secretary of state. The Republican said that Missouri should not rely on electronic voting machines, over the idea that electronics could be hacked.
“We currently have in state statue the process and procedures to hand count ballots,” Hoskins clarified. “So, that is something that we’ve done for hundreds of years. That’s something that’s currently in Missouri state statute, but only the county clerks or the legislature can mandate that we hand count ballots. So, it’s up to them. But, at any time, any of those county clerks that want to hand-count ballots, they can.”
He told Missourinet that, while he cannot mandate that election machines be banned, he will make sure they are safe.
“In order to certify the machines, we’re going to lead a robust effort in order to forensic audit all the election machines,” he said. “So, I’m going to bring all the forensic experts and make sure that they are safe and secure before Election Day, on Election Day, and after Election Day. So, that’s one of the things that we’re gonna do.”
Hoskins said he strongly believes that the state should not rely on electronic voting machines.
“What we saw in June of 2024 in Puerto Rico, now Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, they have Dominion voting machines. Just like we have in some parts of Missouri, they found that after the election, they were not able to reconcile the election machine count to the actual paper ballot count,” he said. “That’s very concerning.”
Hoskins also wants to make sure that the requirement for showing a photo ID before voting remains intact.
He defeated Democrat Barb Phifer and Libertarian Carl Herman Freese in the race.
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