Candidates tout experience in secretary of state's race

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The two major party candidates for Missouri secretary of state are eloquent and politically savvy individuals who offer similar plans for the office. Where they draw contrasts is on the issue of experience.

House Speaker Catherine Hanaway, a Republican, points to her six years of service as state representative, including the last two as House leader, and tenure on U.S. Sen. Kit Bond's staff. When it comes to experience, Hanaway says her opponent doesn't have enough.

"Anybody can write a plan," Hanaway said. "I have a record that shows when I articulate a plan, it gets accomplished."

Although a first-time office seeker, Democrat Robin Carnahan is no political novice, having long been actively involved in the campaigns of her family, including her father, the late Gov. Mel Carnahan. In terms of experience, Carnahan says Hanaway, as a career politician, doesn't have the right kind to be secretary of state.

"It requires somebody that has management experience and business experience, not necessarily legislative experience," Carnahan said. "That is the big distinction."

The primary duty of the secretary of state is overseeing Missouri elections. Both candidates say finishing implementation of reforms called for in the federal Help America Vote Act will be their main focus next year if they are elected on Nov. 2.

That effort will include finalizing a statewide voter registration database to cut down on election fraud, phasing out antiquated punch-card voting systems and improving access for handicapped voters. They each advocate changing state law to allow some form of early voting.

Carnahan says she would support either satellite voting, which would allow county clerks to set up voting stations in high-traffic areas such as stores, or "no-excuse" absentee voting under which voters could cast advance ballots without having to state they intend to be away on Election Day. Smooth implementation of early voting will depend on completing the statewide registration database, Carnahan says.

"Once that gets done, a lot of the security issues with early voting fall away because you have one central place with everyone on the voter rolls," she said.

Hanaway says satellite voting is worthy of exploration but is uncertain if the state can afford it and doesn't want a patchwork system that allows individual counties to decide if they want to pay for it. Therefore, Hanaway says no-excuse absentee voting would be the wiser first step.

Securities law

The second major function of the office is to enforce securities laws and monitor corporations doing business in Missouri. The candidates say they would streamline corporate filings to allow them to submit required documents online and make the office a one-stop shop, eliminating the need for businesses to contact multiple state agencies.

"Rather than making business owners go to three different places, we should be doing the legwork and communicating with other agencies," Hanaway said.

During the last legislative session, Hanaway sponsored legislation signed by the governor that encourages electronic filings by reducing or waiving fees for companies that do so. A companion bill she also sponsored that became law toughened criminal penalties for those who obstruct securities fraud investigations conducted by the secretary of state.

Carnahan says her background as a corporate lawyer and owner of a business consulting firm has prepared her for the businesses services aspect of the job.

"What I want to do is really streamline the activities there, cut the red tape," Carnahan said.

Also on the ballot for the office are Libertarian Christopher Davis of Springfield and Constitution Party candidate Donna Ivanovich of Fenton.

mpowers@semissourian.com

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