The August Primary Is Coming

As you are probably aware, the August primary is this Tuesday, Aug. 2. Too often, we hear of low voter turnout in some of the smaller elections, which is a shame. To me, every election is important, whether there is just a local sewer bond proposal or the presidential election. If you are unsure of the issues, there is still time to prepare for the August primary, either by going to the Jackson County Election Board site, or the Missouri secretary of state website. Either way, make sure you exercise your rights on Tuesday.

Speaking of elections, the Missouri General Assembly passed a critical election integrity bill this year, which has since been signed into law by the governor. House Bill 1878 makes several changes to the way our state conducts elections. First, it requires voters to show a valid photo ID at the polling place in order to vote. It is vitally important that those who choose to take part in our elections prove their identity. In my opinion, this is a commonsense requirement that promotes transparency and protects against any possibility of voter fraud. The legislation also allows the secretary of state to audit the voter rolls in any municipality to ensure they are accurate and up-to-date. Also, HB 1878 eliminates the use of drop boxes to collect absentee ballots; makes it illegal for any election authority or municipality to receive or use any private funds to administer or conduct an election; and implements several other important security measures.

I want to stress the new election integrity law does not take effect until Aug. 28, which means it will not be in place for the primary election, but will be law by the time we go to the polls in November.

We in the Legislature are also awaiting word from the governor on a possible upcoming extra session that would address tax cuts in Missouri. During the regular session this year, lawmakers passed a bill that would have provided a tax rebate to most Missourians. Unfortunately, this legislation was vetoed, but with the caveat a meaningful tax cut would be put in its place. As you know, I am a big proponent of cutting taxes and letting hardworking Missourians keep more of their own money. I am looking forward to working on this plan, and will let you know once the governor officially calls lawmakers back to Jefferson City.

Please feel free to contact my office in Jefferson City at (573) 751-1464. For information about committees or sponsored legislation for the 2022 session, please visit my official Missouri Senate website at senate.mo.gov/Cierpiot.