Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander is sending findings from an investigation of a state House race to state and federal prosecutors to determine if charges are warranted. “I had a chance to talk with Secretary of State Jason Kander, who said he will turn around the certification very quickly”. Penny Hubbard’s narrow 90-vote win over political newcomer Bruce Franks on August 2.
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Because of the quick turnaround time for the September 16 primary contest, members of the reconstituted St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners met on Wednesday to go over logistical arrangements for next week’s election.
Last week, Judge Rex Burlison ordered a new Democratic primary between incumbent Penny Hubbard and challenger Bruce Franks, ruling that the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners had broken state law by allowing individuals to vote absentee in person using electronic voting machines or optical scan ballots.
Now, city election commissioners are preparing for a special primary on Friday, September 16. While Franks won 53 percent of the votes cast the day of the primary, Hubbard raked in close to 80 percent of absentee votes. The most notable difference this time around is that those who walk in to the Election Board office downtown to vote absentee will have to do so with paper ballots.
St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners chairman Erv Switzer speaks to reporters about how the 78th District House race will proceed on September 16. And it comes as Joyce’s office launches a grand jury investigation into possible criminal wrongdoing associated with the election. Two voters told the newspaper that people who identified themselves as Hubbard campaign workers filled out their ballots for them – a violation of state law.
Under the board’s procedures, only one walk-in ballot is to be accepted at a time, and it must be brought into the office by a relative.
St. Louis city residents can begin casting absentee ballots Thursday, Sept. 8th, for the redo of the Democratic primary for Missouri’s 78th House District. He said the flawed handling of absentee ballots was “solely the responsibility of the City of St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners”.
Hubbard appealed, and arguments are scheduled for Monday. He said he was focusing on moving forward and not on “what was done in the past”.
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