Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft Archives

Some Missouri election authorities expand for August primary election

July 24, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft says 21 of the state’s 116 election jurisdictions are increasing the number of polling places for the August primary election, compared to the 2016 primary. A press release from Ashcroft’s office says some polling places are being consolidated into larger venues, creating an efficient flow of voters and more room to allow physical distancing during the ongoing pandemic.

In early May, Ashcroft began distributing $4.5 million to local election authorities to help them meet their jurisdiction’s individual needs.

“I’m grateful that Missouri’s local election authorities have so genuinely considered how to best prepare for the August 4 primary, and how logistically to keep in-person voting safe and smooth,” Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said. “It is up to each county clerk or election board to make those decisions, and I appreciate the forethought and problem-solving strategies they are employing to put voters and poll workers at ease. Voting in person on August 4 will be safe and secure. Thank you, also, to the veteran and first-time poll workers who understand the importance of voting on Election Day, and who are making it possible for Missouri voters to vote safely and securely on August 4.”

He says Wisconsin’s presidential primary election fell into chaos this year because Milwaukee election officials reduced the number of polling places from 180 to five.

In May, Ashcroft visited all 116 election jurisdictions to deliver face masks, face shields, sanitizer, floor strips for physical distancing and 16,000 posters that encouraged six feet of distance between voters.

Missouri gives $4.5 million in federal funding to local election authorities

July 9, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The state has given about $4.5 million in federal money to Missouri’s 116 local election authorities. During a visit with reporters this week in Jefferson City, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft says he hopes the money will help poll workers.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft

“We made sure that everyone got at least $20,000, so that even our smallest jurisdictions had enough to really make a difference. One of the things that I’ve suggested, probably suggested it so many times that the election authorities are tired of me mentioning it, is that they should use a portion of those funds to increase their poll worker pay,” he says.

Ashcroft, a Republican, has said during other occasions that the poll worker job is intense. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. the day of elections. Workers have to be there before the doors open and they stay after polls close to count ballots and to do other tasks.

Ashcroft says some states have not had enough polling precincts generally due to a lack of workers.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to be able to put more money into paying poll workers, to get more poll workers, and also help out some people that might be in financial straits, to make sure that we have enough poll workers and we have enough polling locations,” says Ashcroft.

He says he “fully believes” Missouri’s November election will be the “safest election people have participated in in Missouri”.

“Because we’ve had H1N1 or swine flu or other things before and we’ve never gone to the steps that local election authorities are doing with the physical distancing, with the face shields, with the face masks, with the plexiglass barriers that they’re putting up and with the distancing strips. They’re actually going to machines and disinfecting them between voters,” says Ashcroft.

Ashcroft anticipates the state will have about as many polling sites as it usually does during a primary election. Missouri’s primary is August 4.

Are Missouri polling places safe for Tuesday elections? Parson says if people are worried, they don’t have to vote

May 29, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

On Tuesday, some Missourians will vote in local elections, including about ballot measures and candidates running for city council or school board. During a press conference this week, Gov. Mike Parson was questioned about the message he would give voters who are deciding whether the polling atmosphere is safe for them during the coronavirus outbreak.

Gov. Mike Parson

“I hope people feel safe to go out and vote. But if they don’t, the number one thing is their safety should be number one. So, if they don’t, then don’t go out and vote. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard myself say that,” says Parson. “If you didn’t feel safe, then I wouldn’t do that. But I hope people feel safe enough to go out and vote. Those elections are important – they’re important for what happens down the road as we all see right now what elected officials on the local level are doing.”

Parson says he thinks election workers are well prepared to help prevent voters from getting the coronavirus. He mentions Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a fellow Republican, making visits last week to election authorities across the state.

“I think they’re going to make that as safe as anywhere else you go in the state of Missouri,” says Parson.

Ashcroft’s office says the Secretary of State delivered nearly 17,000 face masks and 17,000 face shields, more than 500 gallons of sanitizer, 1,200 8-oz. pump bottles of hand sanitizer, 16,000 posters advocating physical distancing and more than 40,000 bright yellow floor strips to set distancing expectations.

“We have been working for months to secure the supplies that local election officials need to ensure the safety of our upcoming elections. Delivering these supplies to each of our 116 local election authorities the past two weeks provided a great opportunity to speak personally with them. You can have a different kind of conversation when you’re face-to-face. I also wanted to personally thank the county clerks because they are working very hard to keep your elections running smoothly. I want Missouri voters to know that we are working together on the local, state and federal levels to take every precaution to make voting safe and streamlined in the upcoming elections,” Ashcroft said.

The governor’s comments do not sit well with some elected officials on the other side of the aisle, including State Auditor Nicole Galloway, who’s running for the Democratic nomination in the governor’s race.

This is what voter suppression looks like. pic.twitter.com/DAhfBqmlBW

— Nicole Galloway, CPA (@nicolergalloway) May 29, 2020

On Twitter, Missouri House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, also fired back.

Instead of ensuring voters have a safe way to vote, Missouri’s Governor suggests we simply don’t go….

We have got to put real leaders in charge this November. https://t.co/SuD5v39WmZ

— Crystal Quade (@crystal_quade) May 29, 2020

Missouri does not have “no-excuse” mail-in voting. But a bill awaits Parson’s consideration that would let all registered Missouri voters cast an absentee ballot in this year’s August and November elections, if a notarized signature is included.

Parson switches Medicaid expansion question to August primary election ballot

May 26, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Gov. Mike Parson has announced today that he has chosen to switch a Medicaid expansion measure from the November general election to the lower-turnout August primary election ballot. During today’s press conference, he says the sooner he knows whether to prepare for the extra state budget spending, the better.

Gov. Mike Parson (Photo courtesy of Parson’s Flickr page)

“At a time when our state is undergoing a major health, economic and budget crisis, we need to know exactly where we stand when it comes to a massive spending initiative for Missouri,” says Parson.

He says expanding Medicaid would compete for state revenue dollars with education, mental health and public safety priorities.

Americans for Prosperity-Missouri, a free market organization, today filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of the Missouri Medicaid Expansion Initiative. The lawsuit contends that the ballot initiative violates constitutional requirements since the initiative would require appropriating money to fund the initiative.

“This lawsuit is intended to protect the ballot initiative process. This ballot initiative violates the Missouri Constitution by mandating the state fund the expansion of Medicaid without providing a funding source. This mandate will divert critical funds from our children’s education or force the state to increase taxes. At a time when our state is already in dire economic straits, we should not tie the hands of the legislature with this unconstitutional ballot initiative,” says AFP-MO State Director Jeremy Cady.

The Healthcare for Missouri campaign wants to put another 230,000 low-income adults on Medicaid. If approved by voters, those earning up to $18,000 annually could qualify.

State Auditor Nicole Galloway, a Democrat running for governor, says Parson has “put his own political needs ahead of Missourians”.

“The governor and his special interest allies have already started to mislead voters, telling them that they must choose between funding our schools or access to healthcare. Governor Parson has said he will raise taxes if we vote to expand Medicaid. Every reputable study and the experience of other states that have expanded Medicaid show clear benefits to Missouri’s bottom line. The Governor’s dishonesty won’t work, but it reveals how desperate he is to maintain his hold on power and to deny healthcare to working families,” Galloway says in a statement.

Earlier this month, state Rep. Keri Ingle, D-Lee’s Summit, said on the House floor that voters will approve the ballot measure.

On Friday, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a fellow Republican, certified the initiative petition – giving the governor a little time to decide whether to make the switch. In a press release, Ashcroft says his office verified signatures using random sampling – a quicker way – instead of the usual method of sending them to local election authorities. He says he used the approach because local election authorities are busy preparing for the June 2 municipal election.

Missouri Secretary of State approves Medicaid expansion ballot measure

May 22, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Missouri voters will get to decide whether to expand Medicaid eligibility. Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has certified an initiative petition intended to expand government-funded health coverage and put the question on the election ballot.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (file photo courtesy of the Secretary of State’s office)

Ashcroft left Gov. Mike Parson a little time to choose whether to switch the ballot measure from the November general election to the lower turnout primary election in August. The deadline is Tuesday for Missouri’s chief executive to make that decision.

In a press release, Ashcroft says his office verified signatures using random sampling – a quicker way – instead of the usual method of sending them to local election authorities. He says he used the approach because local election authorities are busy preparing for the June 2 municipal election.

“After visiting all 116 election officials in the state over the last two weeks, I know we made the right decision,” he says. “It would have created a tremendous amount of work for them at the same time they prepare for, conduct and certify their local election.”

Ashcroft cites state law giving him the ability to use random sampling.

Pursuant to Section 116.120, RSMo., the secretary of state performed the approval of petition signatures by congressional district. Per state law, “the secretary of state may verify the signatures on the petition by use of random sampling.” The law states that “the process for establishing the random sample and determining the statistically valid result shall be established by the secretary of state. Such a random sampling shall include an examination of five percent of the signatures.”

The Healthcare for Missouri campaign wants to put another 230,000 low-income adults on Medicaid. If approved by voters, those earning up to $18,000 annually could qualify.

Missouri is one of 14 states without Medicaid expansion.

Ashcroft on expanded mail-in voting: “It’s just not the most secure way to hold an election”

May 18, 2020 By Missourinet Contributor

The Missouri Legislature has adopted a bill that would allow more mail-in voting during this year’s August and November elections. Voters could cast an absentee ballot by saying they are ill if they are 65 or older, live in a nursing home or have certain health problems. All other voters could mail in their ballot without an excuse, but they must first get it notarized.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (file photo courtesy of the Secretary of State’s office)

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft says it’s appropriate during a state of emergency to make sure every voter can be safe, but expanded mail-in voting is not what he prefers.

“It’s just not the most secure way to hold an election,” he tells Missourinet affiliate KSSZ in Columbia. “The gold standard for elections is to have people in person go to their assigned polling place on Election Day.”

Ashcroft, a Republican, says he has security concerns with expanded mail-in voting, but he gets it during a state of emergency.

“I think it’s appropriate that we make sure that every voter in Missouri can vote safely,” he says.

Ashcroft says the likely spike in mail-in ballots for this year’s elections will make it tougher on local election officials. A two-person team, a Republican and a Democrat, checks to make sure each of those ballots is legit.

The bill is awaiting the governor’s consideration.

Brad Tregnago of KSSZ in Columbia contributed to this story

Missouri Legislature gives final approval to absentee ballot legislation; photo ID requirement stripped out

May 15, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Absentee ballot legislation that expands voting by mail through the rest of 2020 is on its way to Missouri Governor Mike Parson’s desk, after receiving final approval from the House in Jefferson City on Friday evening.

State Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, speaks about absentee ballot legislation on the Missouri House floor in Jefferson City on May 15, 2020 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The final House vote was 121-24, and came with about 30 minutes to spare before the mandatory 6 p.m. adjournment.

State Rep. Dan Shaul, R-Imperial, who chairs the Missouri House Elections and Elected Officials Committee, is the bill sponsor.

There are two but separate options under the Shaul bill.

The first expands absentee voting to those 65 and older, or who are vulnerable to COVID-19. Elderly people are considered at greater risk. Notarization is not required for those 65 and older or who are vulnerable.

The second option expands voting by mail for everyone, but requires notarization.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, a Republican who campaigned on a platform of photo ID in 2016, tweeted his disappointment on Friday. He’s disappointed that the photo ID requirement was stripped out of the final bill.

But Secretary Ashcroft emphasized that his office will implement and follow the law.

The bill given final approval this evening also contains an emergency clause, which passed with bipartisan support. If Governor Parson signs it, it will be in effect for the August primary election.

House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, praises the bill, saying it is the result of compromise. Haahr tells Capitol reporters that the bill passed with bipartisan support, adding that it also faced criticism from lawmakers in both parties.

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, agrees it’s a compromise. She says the bill on the governor’s desk will allow many Missourians who are concerned about the health risks from crowded polling places to cast an absentee ballot or to vote by mail.

And the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wants lawmakers to go further in the future. In a statement to Missourinet, the ACLU notes the measures approved by lawmakers will expire at the end of 2020.

“We are glad to see the Missouri Legislature act to expand the right to vote, we hope they will continue to do so in sessions to come,” the ACLU says, in the statement.

Missouri House will be in session next week; budget is top priority

March 12, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s House Speaker has announced that the full House will return to Jefferson City next week for floor sessions on Wednesday and Thursday. Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, says the House is focused on its constitutional duty of approving a balanced budget.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, briefs Capitol reporters on March 12, 2020 in Jefferson City (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

“The idea would be that we will have session through Thursday, we will perfect the budget on Wednesday, we will third-read the budget on Thursday,” Haahr says.

Speaker Haahr briefed the Capitol Press Corps on Thursday morning, after the House adjourned for the week.

The House Budget Committee plans a rare Sunday afternoon budget hearing, which will take place at 2. The House will have what is known as a “technical session” on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. It means one lawmaker will literally gavel the chamber in and out, and that allows committee hearings to take place those days.

The full 163-member House will return to Jefferson City on Wednesday, and is expected to give final approval to an approximately $30 billion state operating budget the next day. The House would then begin its regularly-scheduled spring break and return on March 30.

The state Constitution requires Missouri lawmakers to approve a balanced budget by early May.

Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, has announced that the Senate will not be in session next week, to ensure the safety of state senators and Capitol visitors from ongoing coronavirus issues. The Senate is out until March 30.

As for Speaker Haahr, he continues to urge schoolchildren and others who are not directly involved in legislative business to avoid the State Capitol in Jefferson City, due to coronavirus concerns.

Mr. Haahr notes 163 House members and thousands of guests travel to the Missouri Capitol from every corner of the state each week.

“Obviously, the more people that access this building (the Missouri Capitol), the more chances that members and staff will contact the coronavirus,” says Haahr. “Our goal is to keep us healthy so that the levels of government continue to operate.”

Missouri House leaders from both parties have joined Haahr in his call. Haahr notes it is out of an abundance of caution. House leaders have closed the House chamber’s floor to the public.

Speaker Haahr says coronavirus concerns will impact every state department, and could also impact Missouri’s August primary election and the November general election. He says he met with Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office on Thursday, to discuss any needs for the upcoming elections.

“There’s probably nothing we can do about the April (municipal and school board) elections, but obviously July and November are probably going to be impacted by this, both in voting locations and in the number of people that can staff them,” Haahr says.

He says that the government must go on and that elections must be held. His aim is to make sure Secretary Ashcroft’s office is in the best position possible to do that.

Missouri’s presidential primary draws 23 percent voter turnout

March 11, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

About 23.5 percent of Missouri’s registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s presidential preference primary (PPP).

The Missouri Secretary of State’s office says about 973,000 Missourians cast ballots on Tuesday.

The majority of those, about 660,000, voted in the Democratic presidential primary, which former Vice President Joe Biden won.

About 309,000 voted in the Republican primary, which President Donald Trump won.

A combined total of about 3,500 Missourians voted in the Libertarian, Green and Constitution party primaries. Jacob Hornberger won Missouri’s Libertarian primary, while Howie Hawkins won the Green Party presidential primary. Don Blankenship is the winner of Missouri’s Constitution Party primary.

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft says military and overseas ballots can come in through this Friday. Results are expected to be certified by April 10.

This was the sixth consecutive time that Missouri has held presidential preference primaries. The state held them in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016.

Missourians will need to declare party affiliation for Tuesday’s presidential primary

March 9, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s local election officials are projecting about a 40 percent voter turnout for Tuesday’s presidential preference primary (PPP).

Polls will open Tuesday morning at 6 and will close at 7 p.m. statewide.

Under Missouri law, you can only choose one political party ballot at the primary: Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, Green or Constitution.

Poll workers will ask you to choose one of the five party ballots, so you will need to declare your party affiliation on Tuesday.

There are several former Democratic presidential candidates who’ve dropped out who remain on Tuesday’s ballot in Missouri, because it was too late to take them off the ballot.

They include U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

This will be the sixth consecutive time that Missouri has held presidential preference primaries. The state held them in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016.

Missouri’s Legislature adopted the presidential preference primary in 1986, for one PPP to be held in 1988. At the time, some said it was aimed at helping then-U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-St. Louis County, in his 1988 presidential campaign.

Congressman Gephardt ended his presidential run in March 1988, and ran again and was re-elected to his congressional seat.

Missouri used caucuses in 1992 and 1996. In 1998, the Missouri Legislature approved a PPP with no expiration date. That was Senate Bill 709, which was signed by then-Governor Mel Carnahan.

The Missouri Secretary of State’s Office encourages anyone with questions about Tuesday’s presidential preference primary to call Secretary Ashcroft’s office. That number is 1-800-669-8683.