State Rep. Ken Waller is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where the Herculaneum Republican talked about his first year in the Missouri House.

Waller is a longtime county official who was elected to Missouri’s 114th District last year. The district includes Pevely, Herculaneum and Festus.

Here’s what Waller discussed on the program:

• His longtime desire to be in Missouri state politics, and his first impressions of serving after holding several key posts in Jefferson County government.
• The former county clerk talked about the decision from his colleagues not to place the state in charge of Missouri’s presidential primary contests. While some election officials said the move will save money, representatives from the Missouri Democratic and Republican parties have panned the move to a caucus system as confusing to voters.
• How an in-person, no-excuse absentee voting period has worked since being implemented during the 2022 election cycle.
• Why Jefferson County has become a Republican stronghold after decades of being an evenly divided battleground for statewide elections.

Waller worked in the insurance industry before successfully running for Jefferson County treasurer in 2004. After losing reelection during the 2008 Democratic wave, Waller made a comeback in 2010 when he was elected county executive — a post he held for eight years.
Waller won election in 2018 to be Jefferson County’s clerk, the office in charge of overseeing the county’s elections. After state Rep. Becky Ruth vacated her seat, Waller won the race to succeed her in 2022.