In the race for Missouri secretary of state, two candidates with good credentials for
office but divergent political philosophies stand off against each other.
Robin Smith, 62, who recently retired after nearly 40 years as a St. Louis television news personality, has a strong mind and clear ideas about what the office is about. She is more
than a talking head, though she talks a good game. She is a member of the St. Louis
University Board of Trustees and holds a degree in international business. She has a
politician’s flair for communication. A session listening to her describe how the office
should run leaves one nodding in agreement.
Her opponent, Jay Ashcroft, is similarly eloquent. He is a lawyer who cites his training as
an engineer for a problem-solving attitude. He is a student of the office with the right ideas
about its duties and responsibilities. On the nuts and bolts of running the office, Ashcroft
is a reasonable choice.
Ashcroft is an ideologue with similar beliefs as his estimable father, John Ashcroft, who
served as Missouri governor, U.S. senator and U.S. attorney general. Father John was
notorious for his cultural conservatism, but I always admired his ability to keep his
religion away from his politics.
Young John follows the lead of many of today’s conservatives with expressions about
what government should be about. He told us the purpose of government is to enhance
personal liberty and freedom, “not to allow 70-year-old men to shower with teenage girls.”
This is not a disqualification for the office he seeks, but it does give a hint into his
personal political motivation. He was the primary architect of constitutional Amendment
6 on the November ballot, which would allow the General Assembly to pass a voter photo
ID law. He says voter fraud exists but has no evidence of fraud the new law would correct.
He is a believer in the concept of the law and with his drafting of the state amendment
tries to correct problems that are causing courts to ban similar laws elsewhere. Ashcroft
makes support for voter ID a major point in his campaign.
Smith adamantly disagrees. She says the proposed law would “surgically” deny the right
of her neighbors to vote and that passage of Ashcroft’s law would trigger an automatic
lawsuit.
The current Secretary of State’s Office says 220,000 registered Missourians don’t have
photo ID. Opponents of additional photo ID requirements say most of those adversely
affected would be poor and that minority people are more likely to vote Democratic.
Ashcroft, on the other hand, says the law can be implemented without interfering with
anyone’s right to vote. He says he will be happy to campaign with Donald Trump if he
campaigns in Missouri.
I like Smith’s instinct better. If no good evidence exists of identification trouble in Missouri elections, we should not impose additional burdens. Courts in other states are agreeing.
Lacking evidence of a problem, let the Missouri secretary of state spend time and energy
working to enable rather than hinder voter participation.
Robin Smith for Missouri secretary of state.