Allen Seabaugh hopes to succeed Milam as Scott County Clerk

Allen Seabaugh of Oran, Missouri, the current chief deputy county clerk and supervisor of elections for Cape Girardeau County, announced Wednesday he will run for the GOP nomination for Scott County Clerk in the Aug. 2 primary.

Long-time Democratic incumbent Rita Milam, who has been the Benton, Missouri-based chief election official since January 1995 and employed by the clerk's office for 38 years, will retire Dec. 31.

Asked by the Southeast Missourian about the integrity of elections given the national controversy over voting in 2020, Seabaugh said the phrase "open, free and fair" properly characterizes his supervision philosophy.

"I think the training of staff and poll workers and the chain of custody of ballots are important to election security. Voting equipment should be tested, not connected to the internet, and ballots should be audited with hand counts. We also need to keep following the law to maintain up-to-date voter rolls," Seabaugh added.

Seabaugh, who has been supervisor of Cape Girardeau County's elections since 2014 and chief deputy clerk for the last five years working under Clerk Kara Clark Summers, holds both master's and bachelor's degrees from Southeast Missouri State University.

A married father of five, Seabaugh was valedictorian of Delta High School in 2009.

County clerks in Missouri serve four-year terms.