Missouri
Missouri Secretary of State pushes back at audit claiming violation of state law
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft on Tuesday defended himself against the state auditor’s claim that Ashcroft violated state law in failing to turn over cybersecurity reviews of Missouri’s 116 local election authorities.
Ashcroft, at a news conference, refuted what he called “false accusations” made by Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick’s audit of his office, which were released Monday.
“These are political opinions under the guise of an audit report that are being put forth by an agency that doesn’t even understand the issues,” said Ashcroft, a Republican who is running for governor.
The audit from Fitzpatrick, a Republican who is not a candidate for another statewide office, gave a “fair” rating to the secretary of state’s office — the second-lowest possible rating. It was critical of Ashcroft’s decision last year to stop using a national system designed to improve accuracy in voting.
Missouri lawmakers in 2022 passed a sweeping election law. It included a requirement that the secretary of state’s office and local election authorities undergo a cybersecurity review every two years. The audit said Ashcroft’s office failed to share details of those reviews. It did not call for legal action against Ashcroft.
Ashcroft said the reviews included confidential information that his office was not allowed to release. Besides, he said, the new law wasn’t in effect during the period covered by the audit.
The Electronic Registration Information Center, known as ERIC, has a record of combating voter fraud by identifying those who have died or moved between states. Yet it also has drawn suspicion among some Republican state leaders after a series of online stories surfaced questioning the center’s funding and purpose.
Former President Donald Trump had urged state election officials to move away from ERIC, claiming on social media that it “pumps the rolls” for Democrats. Ashcroft opted to leave the ERIC system last year.
“I can respect why Secretary Ashcroft felt it was necessary to end the relationship with ERIC, but that doesn’t negate the responsibility to have a plan to replace that data so the office has a reliable way to ensure we don’t have dead voters registered in Missouri as we enter a major election year,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement announcing the audit.
Ashcroft said he spent a year trying to help reform the ERIC system before opting out. Even without being part of ERIC, Ashcroft said Missouri has a strong reputation for honest elections under his watch.
“Other states are looking at what Missouri has done and following our lead,” he said.
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Missouri
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Mizzou is a 22.5-point favorite over Alabama State. The Tigers step back onto its home floor looking to reset after road losses to Notre Dame and Kansas. Alabama State has struggled mightily against high-major opponents.
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What our Post expert thinks about Missouri vs. Alabama State
Alabama State has already dropped its two power-conference tests by an average of 32.5 points, and its defensive profile hasn’t suggested much resistance.
The Hornets bring two of the SWAC’s top scorers in Asjon Anderson and Micah Simpson, they are giving up 81.4 points per game and allowing opponents to shoot 45.3 percent from the floor.
Missouri’s rebounding edge should matter — the Tigers pull nearly 40 boards per game while Alabama State is giving up 37.4 a night and just surrendered 18 offensive rebounds to UT Martin.
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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Road construction on Springfield’s northside is affecting access to the Southwest Missouri Humane Society.
MoDOT is realigning the intersection of Norton and Melville Road as part of the I-44 overpass project. The bridge work and intersection project are both impacting the animal shelter.
The shelter sits on Norton Road just west of where the work is happening. Visitors can only reach the shelter by taking the long way up West Bypass to Westgate Avenue, then onto Norton Road.
MoDOT says the intersection at Norton and Melville is supposed to be closed for two weeks. The bridge project, as a whole, is supposed to be completed by the end of the year.
To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email.
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KSHB 41 News anchor Caitlin Knute is interested in hearing from you. Send her an e-mail.
Organizers working to turn back Missouri’s congressional redistricting map spoke Tuesday about collecting signatures to put the effort to a vote by citizens.
People Not Politicians submitted more than 300,000 signatures Tuesday to the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office. The signatures hope to force a statewide vote on redistricting approved earlier this year by Missouri politicians.
KSHB 41 anchor Caitlin Knute spoke with one of the volunteers behind the effort.
Volunteer describes collecting signatures for petition on Missouri redistricting
“I think people in rural areas want to follow the Constitution, and I think it was pretty clear this was not done within the parameters of the Constitution,” volunteer Elizabeth Franklin said.
Redistricting typically occurs after a census every 10 years, but that wasn’t the case this year in Missouri. Critics on both sides of the aisle note that it splits Kansas City into three districts, lumping parts of the city in with much more rural areas.
A spokesperson for the Missouri Secretary of State’s office confirmed receipt of 691 boxes of signatures.
“The elections division will proceed with scanning, counting and sorting the sheets for verification by local election authorities,” the spokesperson said.
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