JEFFERSON CITY — Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, in conjunction with the Missouri Attorney General’s office, filed a lawsuit today to block the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) continued attempts to interfere with polling places on Election Day. Ashcroft serves as the chief election officer in Missouri.
“No one is above the law,” Ashcroft said. “The law clearly and specifically limits who may be in polling places and this action by the DOJ is not allowed. Once again the federal government is attempting to illegally interfere in Missouri’s elections.”
According to organizations, including the Heritage Foundation, Missouri leads the nation regarding election integrity as it pertains to accessible, secure voting with timely, credible results. This recognition is due to the efforts of the hard-working election authorities across the state and the many poll workers who give their time.
“This is a repeat performance,” Ashcroft stated. “Two years ago, we met with the DOJ. We showed them the law and explained that they have no jurisdiction to interfere in Missouri elections. Now they are doing the same thing; trying to go through the back door by contacting local election officials and making false jurisdictional claims for access rather than contacting my office directly. The DOJ just doesn’t seem to get it – we don’t need them here; we don’t want them here. This time we are taking it a step further and filing a lawsuit against the DOJ to get them to stop the continued harassment.”
In 2022, the day prior to Election Day, the U.S. Department of Justice was sent a letter outlining the denial and addressing other concerns relating to the election.
“Rather than contaminate the process – like in Virginia and Alabama, the DOJ should consider the Show-Me State as the example for other states when it comes to sound non-partisan elections,” Ashcroft said. “It would be highly inappropriate for federal agents to violate the law by intimidating Missouri voters and harassing poll workers.”
Ashcroft continued, “The secretary of state’s office has full confidence in our election authorities. Voting has been underway for several weeks and we are ready for Election Day. I want to personally thank all 116 local election authorities and the thousands of poll workers across Missouri who make our elections safe, secure and credible.”