Election Denial in Missouri
1 Election Denier currently holds statewide office with election oversight power.
1 Election Denier is on the ballot for statewide office.
2 Election Deniers have held, or run for, statewide office since 2020.
The landscape in Missouri
Election Denier behavior has weakened Missouri elections in a number of ways.
In March 2023, the state announced plans to withdraw from ERIC, a partnership that helps states maintain accurate voter rolls. The partnership was utterly uncontroversial until it was targeted by disinformation. Missouri has also outlawed private donations to support election funding, making it more difficult for election offices to do their work.
The state had an especially large group of Election Deniers and election conspiracy theorists on the ballot in 2022. And it is home to Sen. Josh Hawley, who infamously gave an encouraging fist-pump to Jan. 6 protesters, then sprinted away from them when they broke into the Capitol. Hawley was one of eight Senators who voted to overturn 2020 election results during the electoral count. He later tried to cover the decision by saying he simply wanted a debate on “election integrity.” Five members of Missouri’s House delegation also voted to object to election results.
1 Election Denier holds statewide Office right now.
Elections are run by the states. In Missouri, the Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State are the state officials responsible for overseeing elections. It’s up to them to make sure the will of the people is always respected.
Read more about The Roles of Our Elected Officials in Elections
Secretary of State of Missouri
Term started 2021
Term ends 2025
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Spread lies or promoted conspiracies about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election or subsequent election cycles in public, including in social media, press statements, or comments to the press.
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Taken action to undermine the integrity of the 2020 presidential election or subsequent election cycles, including:
Filing or supporting litigation seeking to overturn the results based on conspiracies or baseless legal theories.
Filing or supporting litigation that was sanctioned for being malicious or without merit in the aftermath of an election.
Promoting or participating in a Stop the Steal–sponsored or branded event or rally during or following the 2020 election.
Calling for a “forensic audit” of the 2020 presidential election or a race in subsequent elections after the results were certified, were officially audited, or stood up to multiple legal challenges.
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Falsely claimed former President Trump won the 2020 presidential election instead of the legitimate winner, President Biden.
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Refused to certify, or called on or pressured election officials to refuse to certify, the 2020 presidential election results or a race in subsequent elections based on meritless claims about election fraud, voter fraud, misinformation, or lies.
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Refused to concede a race, or publicly supported a candidate’s refusal to concede a race, after the results were officially audited or stood up to multiple legal challenges.
1 Election Denier is on statewide Ballots in races we're tracking.
Missouri has a race in 2024 for at least one of the statewide offices that oversee elections. Here are the candidates.
Read more about The Roles of Our Elected Officials in Elections
Running for Governor of Missouri
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Spread lies or promoted conspiracies about the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election or subsequent election cycles in public, including in social media, press statements, or comments to the press.
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Taken action to undermine the integrity of the 2020 presidential election or subsequent election cycles, including:
Filing or supporting litigation seeking to overturn the results based on conspiracies or baseless legal theories.
Filing or supporting litigation that was sanctioned for being malicious or without merit in the aftermath of an election.
Promoting or participating in a Stop the Steal–sponsored or branded event or rally during or following the 2020 election.
Calling for a “forensic audit” of the 2020 presidential election or a race in subsequent elections after the results were certified, were officially audited, or stood up to multiple legal challenges.
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Falsely claimed former President Trump won the 2020 presidential election instead of the legitimate winner, President Biden.
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Refused to certify, or called on or pressured election officials to refuse to certify, the 2020 presidential election results or a race in subsequent elections based on meritless claims about election fraud, voter fraud, misinformation, or lies.
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Refused to concede a race, or publicly supported a candidate’s refusal to concede a race, after the results were officially audited or stood up to multiple legal challenges.
How Missouri compares
Every state runs its own elections, with its own laws and processes. Check out how Missouri compares with other states in its region when it comes to Election Deniers holding state election administration jobs.
Election Denial in Plains States
Sitting official is an Election Denier
Election Denial in Ongoing Races
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 State Commissioner of Elections | Moreinformation about Delaware | |
3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Moreinformation about Indiana | |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Moreinformation about Missouri | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Moreinformation about Montana | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Moreinformation about New Hampshire | |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 State Elections Board | Moreinformation about North Carolina | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Moreinformation about North Dakota | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Moreinformation about Oregon | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Moreinformation about Pennsylvania | |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 Lieutenant Governor | Moreinformation about Utah | |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Moreinformation about Vermont | |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Moreinformation about Washington | |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Moreinformation about West Virginia |
States are colored by the number of Election Deniers running for office:
0
1
2
3+
Voter turnout over time
Voters are always the backstop against election denial, whether Election Deniers are already in office or vying for power. It’s important to turn out for every election in your state—and to vote in every race on your ballot. Downballot races, like contests for Attorney General and Secretary of State, have historically drawn fewer voters, even though the positions are critical to keeping elections free, fair, and secure. Here’s a look at voter participation in Missouri elections over time. Notice that in years with several important positions up for election, some voters choose not to vote in every race.
Voter Participation in Missouri Since 2016
- #071B40
- President
- #2455A0
- Senator
- #4387F1
- Governor
- #A7C5F3
- Attorney General
- #EDF3FD
- Secretary of State
2016 Presidential
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President had a 62% voter turnout rate
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Senator had a 62% voter turnout rate
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Governor had a 62% voter turnout rate
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Attorney General had a 60% voter turnout rate
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Secretary of State had a 61% voter turnout rate
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2018 Midterm
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Senator had a 53% voter turnout rate
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2020 Presidential
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President had a 65% voter turnout rate
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Governor had a 65% voter turnout rate
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Attorney General had a 64% voter turnout rate
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Secretary of State had a 64% voter turnout rate
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Voter turnout
Data on the number of votes cast in each race are from state elections depositories, supplemented with data from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), House Election Statistics, and The Book of States. Rates are calculated using the Census’s Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP) estimates. Rates will be updated when the Census releases new CVAP data for 2022.
Beyond the ballot box
Each year, state legislators introduce thousands of bills related to elections. And in the past few years, we’ve identified a concerning trend. Across the country, state legislatures are considering bills that would make it easier for partisan actors to manipulate an election, and maybe even overturn the will of the people. We’re tracking these bills along with our partners in an ongoing series of reports called “A Democracy Crisis in the Making.” In 2023 alone, through early May, we tracked 185 bills introduced in 38 state legislatures that would politicize, criminalize, or interfere with elections.
The anti-democracy playbook is simple: change the rules and change the referees, in order to change the results. These bills go hand-in-hand with the Election Denier movement: They’re about taking power away from voters and making it harder for trusted election officials to do their jobs.
Legislative Interference in Missouri by Category
As of May 3, 2023, 3 bills had been introduced or were under consideration in Missouri. None have been enacted or adopted and none have been vetoed after passing.
These bills show that the threat to elections in Missouri, and all across the country, goes well beyond the ballot box.
- Imposing disproportionate criminal or other penalties.These bills would create or expand penalties for election officials in the ordinary execution of their jobs, including criminalizing inadvertent mistakes.
- Creating unworkable burdens in election administration.These bills would interfere with the basic procedures of election administration, increasing the risk of chaos and delay and enabling misleading claims of irregularity.
- Seizing power over election responsibilities.These bills would shift election administration responsibilities away from professional, nonpartisan officials and toward partisan actors in the legislature.
- Usurping control over election results.These bills would give legislators or other state officials direct control over election outcomes.
- Requiring partisan or unprofessional election “audits” or reviews.These bills would establish vague post-election review schemes without the professional standards of traditional audits.