REFORM SHOULD RESTORE VOTING TRUST

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- I am writing in response to the Aug. 7 editorial concerning election reform. I welcome the attention being focused on improving Missouri's election process. However, I am concerned that the editorial might have implied that I support all of the Ford-Carter Commission's report recommendations that were listed. This is incorrect.

There are several areas where I do agree with the commission's report, such as provisional balloting which could help prevent election fraud and decrease disenfranchisement, protecting the voting rights of citizens in military service and establishing uniform standards for counting ballots.

However, there are areas where I disagree with the commission's recommendations. Like the editorial, I am adamantly opposed to the recommendation to prohibit the news media from issuing projections in presidential elections. This would be a dangerous precedent affecting our First Amendment right to free speech, which must be preserved. The media have a right to report what they please, and the people have a right to ignore it. After the bad calls in last November's election, they most likely will.

Although I support making the general election day in November a national holiday, I no longer support using Veterans Day as this holiday. Many veterans groups such as the American Legion, of which I am a member, are opposed to this idea. Our military veterans have given much to our country and deserve recognition solely for their sacrifices.

In the past election, many Missourians stood in line for well over an hour to cast a ballot. Surely that is not acceptable. Decisions that affect the entire nation are too important not to consider all reasonable options.

The editorial also criticized the Ford-Carter Commission's recommendation that we restore voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences. This is currently the law in Missouri. After completing their prison sentence and any subsequent parole and probation, felons can request that their voting rights be restored by the local election authority. I know of no effort in our state to alter this statute.

All Missourians who are eligible should be allowed to cast ballots with ease. However, when people try to influence our elections by casting ballots illegally, they should be investigated and prosecuted. Two weeks ago I released "Mandate for Reform," a report on the November 2000 election in St. Louis. In the report, I detailed well over 1,300 instances of people voting more than once, deceased people voting, current felons voting, people taking advantage of court orders to case ballots and unqualified election judges. If we fail to act immediately, we can expect to see more examples like these in the future. Responsible election reform can discourage election fraud and encourage more citizens to participate in a system they can trust.

During this past legislative session, the Missouri Senate, led by president pro tem Peter Kinder, passed a meaningful piece of election-reform legislation. Senate Bill 476 was passed with ample time for passage by the Missouri House. Unfortunately, it did not become law.

Kinder has stated that election reform will be a priority in the next session of the General Assembly. I am encouraged by his continued desire to ensure that our elections are fair and accurate. I stand ready to work with members of both parties to make this a reality.

Matt Blunt is Missouri's secretary of state.