GOP secretary of state candidate Will Kraus vows to fight voter fraud

Republican secretary of state candidate Will Kraus vowed Monday to investigate voter fraud in Missouri if he is elected.

At a campaign stop in Cape Girardeau, the state senator from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, told a crowd of more than 20 supporters at My Daddy’s Cheesecake restaurant that tackling voter fraud would be “a top priority of mine.”

Kraus said, “We are going to make sure that the voter rolls are cleaned up.”

He acknowledged county election officials are responsible for checking the voter rolls, but he said, “We can hold them accountable.”

He said he would seek to compare voter rolls in Missouri with other states to ensure no one is registered to vote in multiple states.

He said those who commit voter fraud need to be prosecuted. He cited a case in the St. Louis area in which 27 people, who listed addresses of vacant apartments, voted in an election in 2015. None has been prosecuted, he said.

Kraus said he supports a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would establish a system of voter IDs to prevent election fraud.

The Republican candidate said he also wants to “streamline the process for business services” in the secretary of state’s office.

An Iraq War combat veteran who served in the Army as a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan, Kraus said Missouri needs a secretary of state who has “leadership experience.”

Kraus is seeking to succeed incumbent Jason Kander, a Democrat who is running for the U.S. Senate.

Kraus stressed his Christian beliefs and commitment to public service.

“I get difficult things done,” said Kraus, who described himself as a “conservative” who has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association.

He said GOP opponent Jay Ashcroft, a St. Louis area lawyer, has name recognition as the son of longtime GOP politician John Ashcroft.

Kraus said Jay Ashcroft has “no accomplishments in his life other than working for his dad’s law firm.”

Kraus said he has the experience to get things done in Jefferson City.

“My record speaks for itself,” he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

265 S. Broadview St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.