‘Without delay’: Missouri secretary of state pushes Gov. Parson to call special elections
As the Missouri General Assembly contends with a growing number of vacancies, Gov. Mike Parson is under pressure from a top Republican official to call special elections to fill them.
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft sent Parson a letter Wednesday citing a state law that instructs the governor to call special elections “without delay.” The letter marks the first major public demand by a Republican for Parson to act as the number of empty House seats grows to a half dozen.
The vacancies — including a Lee’s Summit seat last held by disgraced ex-Rep. Rick Roeber — come at a crucial time for the legislature, as it prepares to redraw congressional maps.
Ashcroft wants a map likely to result in seven Republican members of Congress and one Democrat. But the map proposed by GOP leaders would most likely maintain the current balance of six Republicans and two Democrats. A 7-1 map would be aimed at forcing U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat who represents Kansas City, out of office.
The vacancies mean Republicans currently lack enough votes to push through any map over unified Democratic opposition in time for the August primary election.
“Residents in the affected districts will be represented only by their state senator as lawmakers take crucial votes on spending, abortion and congressional redistricting,” Ashcroft wrote to Parson.
Without a special election, Ashcroft noted, the seats will remain open until January 2023. Roeber’s seat has been unfilled since the House expelled him in April after his adult children alleged he had abused them.
Parson has so far been in no rush to fill the openings. A spokeswoman for the governor didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Ashcroft’s letter.
Emails obtained by The Star in December revealed that Kyle Aubuchon, the governor’s boards and commissions director, told colleagues that residents in one vacant district would have new representation “soon enough” as candidates run for the seat in the 2022 election. The comments were part of a draft response to a journalist’s question and were removed before it was released.
“A decision has not been made yet regarding the call for a special election, nor a timeline for when a decision may be reached. The citizens of the 114th House District will still have representation from their state senator,” Aubuchon wrote in a Dec. 3 email to deputy communications director Stephanie Whitaker, legislative budget director Alex Tuttle and deputy legislative director Phillip Arnzen.
“As Becky was entering her final year in the House of Representatives, the district will have new representation soon enough as candidates come forward and file to succeed her as state representative,” Aubuchon wrote, referring to Rep. Becky Ruth, a Festus Republican who resigned after Parson named her the director of the Office of the Child Advocate.
Parson’s lack of action has faced other criticism. Dave Roland, director of litigation at the limited-government Missouri Freedom Center, has said the seats need to be filled.
“The people deserve representation in their legislature,” he has said.
But Ashcroft’s is the most prominent voice so far to publicly ask Parson to take action. He said that if Parson calls special elections by Jan. 10, the contests can appear on the April 5 municipal ballot.
While governors can set special elections for any date, they often coincide with previously-scheduled elections to boost turnout and reduce costs. No primary election is held, instead local party officials nominate candidates.
“As a state, it is critical that we take the appropriate steps to ensure that all Missourians are fairly, justly and equitably represented at all levels of government,” Ashcroft wrote. “By calling a special election, these vacant seats can be filled and the constituents of these districts can again have full representation in the Missouri General Assembly.”
The Star’s Jeanne Kuang contributed reporting
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 5:47 PM.
