Archive for June 2024

State Treasurer Vivek Malek’s introduction to Missouri was quite different from other statewide officials’.

Malek came to the United States from India when he was 24. When he arrived in Cape Girardeau to get a master’s degree in business administration at Southeast Missouri State University, it was about a month before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“And that just completely changed my world as well as I saw Americans come together in unity once that event happened,” Malek said on an episode of Politically Speaking. “And that triggered for me to go to law school and study the American Constitution, the Bill of Rights and understand more about American politics.”

Gov. Mike Parson appointed him treasurer in 2023 after Scott Fitzpatrick became state auditor. Malek is the first person of color to hold statewide office in Missouri. He’s running for a full four-year term against five other GOP candidates in the Aug. 6 primary: House Budget Chairman Cody Smith, state Sen. Andrew Koenig, Springfield resident Lori Rook, St. Joseph resident Tina Goodrick and Berkeley resident Karan Pujji.

Malek has raised the most money by far for a statewide contest that typically flies under the radar.

Gaming machine flap

Malek faced criticism earlier this year for putting decals for the state’s unclaimed property programs on gaming machines at gas stations and bars.

The so-called “gray machines” are opposed by some who contend they’re illegally skirting the state’s restrictions on gambling. The company that makes many of these machines, Torch, disputes that characterization and adds that the way the machines work makes them comply with the state’s laws.

Members of a House Appropriations subcommittee chastised Malek for placing decals on these machines. The chairman of that committee, Rep. Scott Cupps, R-Shell Knob, said on a recent edition of Politically Speaking that the decision was profoundly irresponsible, especially since it could provide the impression that the state is sanctioning the machines.

Malek said the decision to place the advertisements on the machines was part of his drive to return as much unclaimed property as possible to Missourians. He said he’s also partnered with banks and state fee offices to make people aware of the program.

But Malek also said he understands why placing them on the gaming machines in question was controversial, which is why he decided to take them off in February.

“Since this was a little hot-button issue, I decided it was not worth going through that — and maybe it’s not a sound political decision,” he said.

Malek said he will continue to be aggressive at getting unclaimed property returned as long as he’s state treasurer.

“In the year 2023, I broke every record of every past treasurer in returning money,” Malek said. “This year I broke my own record even though there’s still a week left for this fiscal year to end.”

Supporting MoBUCK$, bucking China

Other accomplishments he cites so far in office include expanding a program called MoBUCK$ that provides low-interest loans to certain businesses.

“When I became treasurer, my whole purpose was to do the job — not to get the job,” Malek said. “I have done great in my professional career and the business that I had. And now it was time for me to take some time off from my regular occupation, come to this field, and do my service as a public servant with a servant’s heart.”

Malek successfully pushed for Missouri’s pension board to divest from Chinese companies. He contends that because China has become more adversarial with the United States, it doesn’t make sense for Missouri to invest in companies there.

“I believe that we don’t want to be in a situation just like we were with Russia where all of the investments in Russia basically became zero when Russia invaded Ukraine,” Malek said.

If he wins a full four-year term, Malek will also continue to manage the Education Savings Account program. The account allows families to obtain funding to send children to the school of their choice, including private schools. The account is funded by private donors, who then receive tax credits from the state.

Malek said he’s been a big proponent of the program, which he says provides parents with more options when it comes to their kids’ education.

“This may not be the program for every school district,” Malek said. “It is just giving your kids, my kids and other kids … a choice that they can take and make their lives successful by getting a better education.”

Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher originally saw the lieutenant governor’s office as the next step in his political career.

“The lieutenant governor field at the time looked like a good spot because there were so many people running for secretary of state,” Plocher said.

However, when Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, dropped out of the secretary of state’s race, the Des Peres Republican decided to jump in.

“It seemed to be a great opportunity to fill the void that I think the public needs, they needed a good candidate with a good background in that race,” Plocher said.

Plocher is one of eight Republicans seeking to become Missouri’s next secretary of state.

Other Republican candidates in the race include state Sens. Mary Elizabeth Coleman and Denny Hoskins, Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller, state Rep. Adam Schwadron, Wentzville municipal judge Mike Carter, St. Louis County resident Jamie Corley and St. Louis resident Valentina Gomez. House Rep. Barbara Phifer is the most well-known Democrat candidate who filed.

During an episode of St. Louis Public Radio’s Politically Speaking, Plocher said his background qualifies him for the position. He has experience in securities working for Franklin Templeton, as well as volunteering as an election judge.

He said he doesn’t think an ethics investigation earlier this year or a pending lawsuit against him will negatively affect his campaign.

Plocher faced misconduct allegations beginning in the fall of 2023, when it was revealed he had filed expense reports seeking reimbursement for bills already paid by his campaign.

Plocher, who has since paid that money back, said the double reimbursements were due to “too many cooks in the kitchen.”

“There’s too many people asking for something I didn’t ask for. My staff asked for it. Other people put things on a bill that I didn’t bill,” Plocher said.

The ethics investigation included allegations of favoritism for pursuing a software contract for the House, and for firing his chief of staff.

He said the ethics investigation and a lawsuit against him by House Chief Clerk Dana Rademen Miller alleging retaliation over those issues have strengthened him as a candidate.

“I think that actually makes me a better candidate, because they’re attacking me for the successes we’ve had as a whole in the House, because we passed conservative legislation,” Plocher said.

The House Ethics Committee ultimately dismissed the complaint against Plocher. However, the committee’s report, which was also voted down, accused Plocher of obstructing the investigation.

Here are other topics surrounding the secretary of state’s office that Plocher talked about on the show:

• Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft created headlines when he established rules that would deny state support to libraries if they did not create policies allowing parents to designate what materials would be accessible to children. While Plocher agrees with Ashcroft’s rules, he thinks the secretary of state shouldn’t serve as a “library czar.”
• Plocher does not believe the state should switch from using machines to count ballots to only hand counting them. He said that he fervently believes in paper ballots, but that the error rate with machines is not at a level that requires hand counting.
• He approves of a bill that only the House passed this year that would add a proof of citizenship marker to Missouri driver’s licenses as a requirement to vote.
• If elected secretary of state, Plocher would continue to push to make it harder to amend Missouri’s constitution.

Plocher was first elected to the Missouri House in 2015. He served as speaker in 2023 and 2024.

Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller is no stranger to crowded primaries — including the GOP nomination for secretary of state.

The Republican defeated two well-funded and well-organized opponents in 2012 to become the party’s candidate to succeed then-Secretary of State Robin Carnahan. But Schoeller narrowly lost to Democrat Jason Kander.

Two years later, Schoeller became Greene County clerk — the top elections official for the fast-growing southwest Missouri county. And he says that experience helps him stand out in a secretary of state field that includes seven other GOP contenders.

“I think what distinguishes me from everyone else is I’ve actually been administering elections for the past 10 years,” Schoeller said on an episode of the Politically Speaking podcast. “It’s no different than when you think about voting for sheriff, you want someone who has law enforcement experience before they become the sheriff of your county. I strongly believe we need someone who has election experience to become the next secretary of state.”

Schoeller, who worked for Matt Blunt when he served as secretary of state in the 2000s, also said he would work with libraries to help people become more knowledgeable about securities which the office regulates. And because he’s currently a county clerk, Schoeller said he’ll be ready to collaborate with local election officials about ways to better administer elections.

“I already know how to have those discussions from day one,” he said. “And that’s the difference that I think really is critical, because I see the challenges. And I also look at solutions that we can implement, especially when it comes to elections to make a difference.”

Schoeller is not a fan of Missouri’s excuse-based absentee system. While Missouri instituted an in-person voting period when voters can go to a designated polling place two weeks before Election Day for any reason, any absentee voting that happens before that time requires someone to check off an excuse.

Democratic and Republican election officials have pointed out that they don’t have the staffing or the desire to seek out whether a voter is being truthful with their excuse.

“I’m not out to remove the excuse-based system. That is not on my agenda,” Schoeller said. “But certainly personally, I feel like that the government should not have to know any more about my business than they have to.”

‘Ship sailed’ on making the constitution harder to amend

Like other GOP contenders for secretary of state, Schoeller believes the Missouri Constitution is too large, and he would rather see initiative petition campaigns to change statutes instead of the constitution.

But unlike other Republican candidates, Schoeller said it’s likely too late at this point for what proponents call initiative petition reform to actually be implemented. He pointed to how efforts to boost the constitutional amendment threshold failed in Arkansas and Ohio.

“I think at the end of the day, though, this issue sailed a long time ago,” Schoeller said. “And so I appreciate the idea, because I do want a limited and small constitution. But I don’t see practically the voters doing that.”

He also said it may be a blessing in disguise that efforts to raise the constitutional threshold failed, especially if voters back an effort to legalize abortion later this year. Schoeller notes that if it was more difficult to amend the constitution, it would also be harder to repeal or change the abortion legalization amendment.

“I think that’s why you’ve got to really think through these issues before you end up doing something that later on that you look back at and regret,” he said.

Other Republican secretary of state candidates include House Speaker Dean Plocher, state Sens. Mary Elizabeth Coleman and Denny Hoskins, Wentzville municipal judge Mike Carter, state Rep. Adam Schwadron, St. Louis County resident Jamie Corley and St. Louis resident Valentina Gomez. State Rep. Barbara Phifer is the most well-known Democrat candidate who filed.

Mike Carter, a municipal judge from Wentzville, said he filed to be Missouri’s next secretary of state because he thinks it’s the most winnable job on the ballot.

“I identified the secretary of state’s office as having the least amount of competition, the least amount of dollars dedicated to it, and the largest opening for me to repeat what I did in the past and just ascend right to the position,” Carter said.

However, the day Carter filed, two other Republicans joined the race, bringing the number of GOP candidates for secretary of state to eight.

Other Republican candidates include House Speaker Dean Plocher, state Sens. Mary Elizabeth Coleman and Denny Hoskins, Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller, state Rep. Adam Schwadron, St. Louis County resident Jamie Corley and St. Louis resident Valentine Gomez. House Rep. Barbara Phifer is the most well-known Democrat candidate who filed.

During an episode of St. Louis Public Radio’s Politically Speaking, the attorney and businessman said if elected, he wouldn’t be beholden to anyone except to voters since he’s put his own money in the race.

“If I get in there, I’ll have to answer just to the folks in the voting booth, I got nobody who’s helped get me there or that I have to answer to,” Carter said.

Carter has previously run for statewide and statehouse positions.

In 2020, he ran for lieutenant governor, amassing 26% of the vote in the Republican primary. Carter ran to be the next state senator for the 10th District in 2022. In a crowded Republican primary, he lost by a little less than 3%.

Passing constitutional amendments

Carter agrees with his fellow Republican candidates that it should be harder to pass a proposed constitutional amendment once it gets on the ballot.

He said he would like to see a model similar to that of the federal government, which requires approval from two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and ratification by 38 states.

For Missouri, Carter would want to see two-thirds or three-quarters of Missouri’s counties approve a proposed amendment.

Alternatively, he also wouldn’t be opposed to seeing the voter threshold increase to 55% to 60% to pass an amendment at the ballot box.

“It should be more of a lift to make a constitutional amendment,” Carter said.

However, Carter also said it should be easier for an amendment to get on the ballot in the first place.

“Trying to run around and get that amount of signatures for your regular citizen … to put it on the ballot is a monumental, Herculean task that is basically insurmountable,” Carter said.

Here are other topics Carter talked about on the show:

• He believes the more relationships he has with local election officials across the state, the better he can communicate his priorities.
• Carter is not sold on the idea of hand counting ballots as opposed to using machines. He said while ballots could be hand counted, “You can also trust the machinery at a very basic level because all it is doing is tabulating the dots that roll through it.”
•  While Carter said he isn’t opposed to making Election Day a state holiday, he said he would worry about the logistics, including making sure there would be enough poll workers.

Missouri state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman was the first candidate to jump into the GOP fray for the 3rd Congressional District seat, but ended up being one of the last to file for secretary of state.

During an episode of St. Louis Public Radio’s Politically Speaking, Coleman said she switched races because the statewide post that oversees elections, business registration and securities regulation is a better fit for what she wants to accomplish.

“I have never run in a race that wasn’t a multi-candidate primary, a scrum,” Coleman said. “Now, this is certainly the place that I’ve had the most opponents in. But when you’re in a race, really what your focus is talking to the voters, getting to know them, talking about the issues that matter most to you so that they get to know you. And I don’t think that the number of competitors or candidates really changes how you run that race.”

In addition to Coleman, House Speaker Dean Plocher, state Sen. Denny Hoskins, Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller, state Rep. Adam Schwadron, businessman Mike Carter, St. Louis County resident Jamie Corley and St. Louis resident Valentina Gomez are running to succeed Jay Ashcroft. Democratic state Rep. Barbara Phifer is the most well-known of the Democratic candidates who filed.

“As a mom on a mission, I’m the one who’s going to get things done, I’m going to make sure that things are taken care of,” Coleman said. “If you want something done, ask a busy person — and especially a busy mom.”

Coleman is an attorney who previously served on the Arnold City Council. She was elected to the House in 2018, beating a Democratic incumbent who prevailed in a special election. Four years later, she won a crowded GOP primary for the state Senate — which was tantamount to election in the heavily Republican 22nd District.

Here’s some of the issues Coleman also discussed on her Politically Speaking appearance:

• One of her key priorities is examining the state’s voter rolls to make sure that undocumented immigrants haven’t registered. “If you’re willing to walk across the border illegally, if you’re willing to break that law, why would you not be willing to break the law to vote illegally in Missouri?” she said.
• She would advocate for local library boards to be elected, as opposed to appointed, positions. “Really returning the power to the people to make sure that they’re able to decide: Do they like or do they not like what their libraries are doing?” Coleman said.
• Unlike Hoskins, Coleman isn’t sold on the idea of hand counting all ballots — pointing out that countries that do, like France, only may have one race to tabulate. By contrast, Missouri’s general election ballot could have multiple races up for grabs — especially in places like St. Louis or St. Louis County with judge retention elections.

She doesn’t expect November to be final word on abortion

Coleman helped craft the law that ultimately banned most abortions in Missouri, something she’s continually said is one of her proudest legislative accomplishments.

But that measure could be undone later this year if Missourians approve a constitutional amendment legalizing abortion. Backers of proposed constitutional amendments needed to collect a certain percentage of signatures in six out of eight congressional districts — which at minimum was around 171,000 signatures. They turned in more than 380,000 which are being checked by Ashcroft’s office. He’s expected to announce later this year if the plan will go before voters in November.

Even if the abortion legalization measure ends up passing, Coleman said the GOP-controlled legislature will almost certainly try to put something on a future statewide ballot to repeal or change the amendment.

“And so to think that would go unchallenged by the Republican supermajority, I think is probably a little bit of a pipe dream,” Coleman said.

Coleman, who was the sponsor of a measure to make the Missouri Constitution more difficult to amend, said she will continue to advocate to raise the threshold if she’s elected secretary of state. That proposal failed to pass in the last week of session.

“I don’t think that’s going to tamp down the desire to make it harder to change the constitution,” said Coleman, referring to the possibility of the abortion legalization measure passing. “I think you’re just going to see pro-life initiative petitions or pro-life ballot initiatives that are put on by the supermajority and probably also continued efforts to make sure that our founding documents are harder to change.”

Republicans currently hold supermajority status in the state House and Senate. While the GOP is not expected to lose control of either chamber, Democrats are optimistic that the abortion legalization measure could increase Democratic turnout and allow them to make enough gains to break the supermajorities for the first time since 2013.