Three democrat candidates running for Missouri Secretary of State; priorities include supporting libraries

Monique Williams, Barbara Phifer and Haley Jacobson are the three democrats running for Missouri Secretary of State in the Tuesday, Aug. 6, election.

Williams lives in St. Louis and graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus with a degree in Business and Accounting. She has been a small business owner, a certified public accountant and an auditor for the office of the Missouri State Auditor, according to her campaign website.

Her website states that her priorities include upholding election integrity, supporting Missouri libraries and maintaining “access to business services.” In an interview with the Springfield News Leader described her interest in schools.

"I believe there are opportunities for the libraries to help our school districts, help the schools maintain a level of education that is moving as fast as technology,” Williams said in her interview.

Phifer has been serving as District 90 Missouri House representative, and her campaign priorities include protection for elections, keeping businesses open and supporting public libraries. In KY3 news coverage of a campaign launch event, Phifer spoke about the importance of neutrality in ballot language.

“I would put aside any personal opinions that I have and I would strive always for strict neutrality in ballot language. Which means, even if I disagree, I will use the English language for clarity about what a ballot initiative actually says,” Phifer said in KY3.

Jacobson is prioritizing increasing business education as well as increasing “education and outreach about investments,” according to her campaign website. In an interview with Springfield News-Leader, Jacobson explained why she had an interest in business rules.

“One of the things I did as a loan officer for the International Institute, I worked directly with immigrants and refugees who wanted to start a business and help them design a business plan and do market research ... so that they could be successful when they launched their business," Jacobson said in the interview.