Sen. Wallingford's bill for soldier candidates gains support

Does the order a candidate's name appears on a ballot make a difference in the outcome of an election?

Bipartisan supporters of election-related bills that will be considered when the Missouri Legislature convenes for its regular session today believe it does.

"It is possible that the order names are on the ballot can change things by up to a couple percent of the vote," Sen. Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, recently told the Southeast Missourian. "I don't want someone to not get the votes they should because they are finishing a tour of duty or for another reason can't get to a drawing."

Wallingford is proposing legislation that would allow a proxy to file for office on behalf of a candidate who is a deployed member of the military or disabled, making it possible for that candidate to participate in a drawing that determines the order names will be placed on a ballot.

Current state law allows only people who appear in person on the opening day of filing to participate in the drawing. Those who must wait until later and miss the drawing are placed on the ballot in the order they file.

The legislation is gaining positive attention from officeholders who, like Wallingford, a retired Air Force colonel, are military veterans and are working off the assumption that name placement on the ballot order can affect the result of an election.

Among the supporters is Secretary of State Jason Kander, a Democrat. Kander served overseas tours of duty as a U.S. Army captain. Part of his official duties as secretary of state is to oversee elections in Missouri.

"This is a simple legislative fix that will allow members of our armed forces who choose to continue their public service by running for office to be on a level playing field with other candidates," Kander said in a news release Monday, which announced added support for the bill from Scott County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Boyd.

Boyd is deployed to Afghanistan as a member of the Missouri National Guard. The bill's passage would likely benefit Boyd, who, according to the release, plans to file for re-election in February. Boyd's wife told the secretary of state's office Boyd was uncertain how he would participate in the ballot order drawing during his deployment.

A version of the legislation also has been filed in the House by state representatives Tony Dugger, R-Hartville, and Stacey Newman, D-St. Louis.

Wallingford said Tuesday the bill will be his first major push as the session opens this week -- starting with a letter he plans to send to Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey requesting a committee immediately take up the bill for a hearing. He said he hopes the bill can be passed and be signed into law by the governor in time for it to apply to candidates seeking to be on the ballot in the August primary election.

"I can't really imagine much opposition to something like this," he said. "Soldiers have put their life on the line and gone through family hardships and separation, and I think it's the least we can do to let them continue to serve their constituents in another way."

Passage of the legislation in the first month of the session, according to the secretary of state's office, would allow designation of a proxy by military members and disabled people for candidate filing when it opens for the August primary on Feb. 25.

Wallingford also has filed a bill that would allow military and overseas voters to register to vote a few days later than a deadline for in-state voters that normally falls during the week leading up to an election.

eragan@semissourian.com

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