After releasing the findings of a voter fraud investigation involving two St. Charles County voters, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft went on record to make clear his intentions regarding voter integrity by announcing his plan to keep voting secure and accurate in upcoming Missouri elections while making sure no voter is turned away from the ballot box.
“We want to be proactive rather than reactive. We are not trying to enact legislation because something happened, we want to establish legislation that will prevent something from happening,” Ashcroft said. “Look, when you introduce variations into the voting process; like ballot curing, you open the door for potential problems – especially when some jurisdictions have last-minute procedural changes while others do not.”
“I want to make my position clear to anyone who thinks that the number of fraud cases should determine whether legislative change is necessary,” Ashcroft said. “One case or one thousand cases – our response is going to be the same. We will push for legislation to make sure voter fraud doesn’t exist, and the voting rules applicable to one voter apply to all voters. It’s that simple.”
In the 2020 legislative session, Secretary Ashcroft pushed for changes in election procedures but the Missouri legislature failed to pass any election reform measures. “I can only do so much – I don’t make the laws,” Ashcroft said. “It is up to our legislators to protect the integrity and accuracy of Missouri elections.”
In recent days, Ashcroft has received numerous phone calls and letters from concerned citizens regarding voter integrity issues. “People are being told one thing when the truth is the opposite.” Ashcroft maintains that Missouri elections are secure but believes there should be measures in place to secure the integrity of future elections.
