Missouri Secretary of State Archives

Bob Priddy: Missouri once had three secretaries of state in about a week

October 30, 2020 By Missourinet Contributor

Bob Priddy for Missourinet

Missouri once had three secretaries of state within a week. It was December 1994 when the Missouri Supreme Court removed Judi Moriarty. Governor Carnahan appointed his Director of Administration Dick Hanson to be the interim secretary of state. By the end of the week, he had appointed Rebecca McDowell Cook of Cape Girardeau to complete Moriarty’s term. Hanson, thus, has the distinction of having the shortest term of any Missouri statewide office-holder.

McDowell was a lawyer and state school board member. She became the second woman to hold the Secretary of State’s job—Moriarty being the first and only fourth woman to hold a statewide position.

She was elected to a full four-year term but did not run for re-election in 2000. Four years later she was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor but lost by one-half of one percentage point to fellow Cape Girardeau resident Peter Kinder, who went on to serve three terms.

Bob Priddy will be bringing his historical perspective to Missourinet’s live election coverage Nov. 3, after the polls close. Join us on your favorite station or on Missourinet Facebook Live.

November ballot measure would impose two-term restriction on all Missouri statewide elected officials

September 29, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Missourians will be heading to the polls in November, to cast ballots on a measure imposing term limits on all statewide elected officials.

You’ll be voting in November on Amendment One, which would amend the Missouri Constitution to extend the two-term restriction that currently applies to the governor and treasurer to the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general and state auditor.

A “yes” vote would amend the Missouri Constitution to impose a two-term restriction on all statewide elected officials. A “no” vote would leave the terms that statewide elected officials may serve unchanged.

The Secretary of State’s fair ballot language says that if passed, Amendment One will have no impact on taxes. State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, R-Parkville, sponsored the legislation in the Missouri General Assembly.

Members of both major parties have previously served more than two terms in Missouri statewide office, in recent history.

Democrat James Kirkpatrick served five terms as secretary of state, from 1965 to 1985. Kirkpatrick, who died in 1997, established Missouri’s current record for tenure of an elected statewide officeholder. Democrat Jay Nixon served four terms as attorney general, serving from 1993-2009, when he was sworn-in as governor.

Republican Peter Kinder served three terms as lieutenant governor, from 2005-2016. And Republican Margaret Kelly, who was appointed as state auditor by Governor Kit Bond in 1984, was elected to a full term in 1986 and was re-elected auditor in 1990 and in 1994. She retired in January 1999.

Parson signs plan expanding absentee voting during the coronavirus outbreak

June 5, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

Gov. Mike Parson has signed into law a bill expanding mail-in voting during this year’s August and November elections only. Under Senate Bill 631, an absentee ballot will only be allowed for voters who request one.

Governor Mike Parson (file photo courtesy of Governor Parson’s office)

Voters who have contracted or are at-risk of getting COVID-19 can cast an absentee ballot without notarization. All other voters can mail in their ballot without an excuse, but they must submit a notarized statement saying they are who they say they are.

“Any Missourian affected by COVID-19 should still be able to vote, including those who are sick or considered at-risk,” Parson says in a written statement. “I applaud Senator Dan Hegeman, Representative Dan Shaul, and the rest of the legislature for taking this important step, which provides Missourians with a safe and secure way to vote while still safeguarding our elections and ballot process.”

Other provisions of the legislation include modifications to the following:
• Investigative powers for the Secretary of State
• Candidate filing fees
• Political activities by state employees
• Financial interest statements
• Secretary of State’s Technology Trust Fund
Ballots must be returned and received in an envelope postmarked by U.S. Mail by 7 p.m. on election day.

The Missouri House of Representatives gave final approval to the legislation with less than one hour to go on the final day of this year’s regular session.

To view SB 631, click here.