JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft recently concluded his seventh consecutive year of visiting each of Missouri’s 114 counties.
“I’ve made it a priority every year to personally visit each county in the state to talk with Missourians; from county officials to students, business owners to farmers,” said Ashcroft. “Missouri is a great place to live, work, and raise a family. It’s a privilege to represent the hard-working people of our state.”
This year Ashcroft visited public libraries across the state, meeting with library directors and board members about how to improve services. Through the Missouri State Library, Ashcroft was able to award 146 grants totaling over two million dollars and said, “Our public libraries are vital to our communities: they help all of us. These funds allow our libraries to continue offering key services and expanding programs for their patrons.”
Also, this year Ashcroft visited several schools meeting hundreds of students speaking about civics, leadership and state government. Ashcroft added, “Our students are the leaders of tomorrow. It is imperative that we give them the opportunities to excel and thrive.”
As the chief elections official for the state, Ashcroft met with county clerks and other local election officials throughout Missouri. “I swore an oath to fairly administer Missouri’s elections. I believe maintaining good relationships with our local election officials is key to running successful elections,” Ashcroft said.
Ashcroft toured cattle ranches, corporate farms and other agribusinesses promoting economic development and the Business Services Division within his office. The secretary said, “Agriculture is the backbone of our state – it exemplifies core virtues like determination, hard work, innovation; it builds character and self-worth and it promotes family values.”
“From Atchison to Pemiscot, McDonald to Clark, Missouri is a beautiful state. I love visiting every corner and talking with Missourians about ways to make our state even better – that’s the best part of my job,” added Ashcroft.