Americans are concerned about the integrity of our elections.
With unpopular candidates winning national elections, and loopholes in our election laws, Missourians want more oversight of our elections to protect the will of the people.
We spent six months meeting with conservative grassroots organization leaders, Republican Missouri state legislators, state GOP central committee members, prominent Republican election attorneys, rural county clerks, and more. We held forums and circulated surveys to take community input about ways to strengthen election integrity.
Now, we are excited to release our plan to ensure trustworthy elections, accountable government, and the will of the people of Missouri.
“Even before I worked with our governor and served in elected office, election integrity and the will of the people of Missouri has always been paramount for me and my fellow Republicans.”
Below are the problems and solutions that Missourians are asking us to fix.
Issue: Election Observers
Problem: There is a loophole in our current law that doesn’t allow observers to watch the new in-person absentee voting period. Additionally, nonpartisan and independent candidates—including in school board races—don’t have the same right to have observers that candidates in partisan races do.
Solution: We need to consistently allow observers where votes are cast and counted, including during in-person absentee voting. We should also allow nonpartisan and independent candidates to appoint observers, just as political parties are already permitted to do. This will give Missourians more faith in our elections.
Issue: Deceased individuals on the voting rolls
Problem: Some counties don’t update their voting rolls to remove deceased individuals and others who should no longer be on the rolls. This is a big threat to election integrity.
Solution: Require that election authorities remove deceased individuals upon receiving notification and documentation from a state or federal agency. Constitutionally authorize election authorities to request training and guidance from the Secretary of State’s office on proper voter roll management.
Issue: Unclear ballot language
Problem: Currently, the law does not require ballot language for questions on the ballot to be written clearly or to use only language that is actually in the measure.
Solution: Require clear, unbiased, fair ballot summaries that use only language that is actually in the measure. Politicians shouldn’t be allowed to put their thumb on the scale for or against ballot measures or to hide the plain language of the initiative, no matter if it’s on purpose or by accident.
Issue: Inconsistent audits
Problem: Not all counties conduct proper pre-certification audits. These are already required in regulation and conducted in some form by every county. However, they are not enforceable in law, and some counties don’t use true random selection to pick the precincts to be audited.
Solution: Add a requirement for best-practice audits to the Missouri Constitution. Require local election authorities to document the exact methodology used to randomly select precincts, with a minimum of one precinct for the smallest counties.
Issue: Freedom to choose candidates you actually like
Problem: Many primaries and general elections are won with less than a majority because ideologically similar candidates “split the vote.” Conservative voters often feel forced to cast their votes based on “viability” and which candidates are leading in polls or have the most money, instead of voting their conscience and voting for candidates they like.
Solution: Give voters the freedom to choose all the candidates they like in each primary and general election race. See who actually has the most support, and stop arbitrarily limiting our freedom to support only one candidate. This system is used in Fargo, and is known in Missouri as “Freedom Voting.” It’s very similar to the way Missourians already vote for school boards: you can vote for multiple candidates, and whoever has the most votes, wins.
Note: This policy explicitly does NOT allow for any ranking, combined primaries, or delayed results. Just plain old-fashioned voting. Whoever has the most votes, wins—same as always.
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.
— President Ronald Reagan