PRO/MORE FILINGS: IN THE 8TH DISTRICT, MORE DEMOCRACY, NOT LESS

This editorial is from the Kansas City Star and was published shortly after the death of Rep. Bill Emerson of Cape Girardeau.

Missouri Secretary of State Bekki Cook was wrong in her handling of the election aftermath of U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson's death. Cook, based on her own reading of Missouri's election laws, determined that filing should not be opened up for five days to permit new candidates to seek the congressional office.

Cook, who is a lawyer, said the state law as amended during a flurry of compromise and confusion on the final day of the 1995 legislative session was clear and needed no further amplification.

"I personally think the language is extremely clear and not subject to questions about interpretation," Cook said.

The language might be crystal clear to Cook, but it is not that clear to others, including fellow Democrats who winced at Cook's decision no to open up filing for Emerson's seat.

One could be tempted to wonder if Cook, whose first hours as secretary of state were contaminated by her handling of the re-election of then-House Speaker Bob Griffin, made her decision on the congressional office as a way to give Democrats a better shot at the seat that party had held for decades until Emerson captured and held it for Republicans.

Whatever her reasons and however murky legislation may be, any time Cook must rule on such a sensitive issue she should remember that the best idea is to expand elective opportunity, not shrink it. Lawmakers may have bungled their re-write of the election laws, but none of them ever intended to restrict opportunity for a strong field of candidates when a major office opens up because of death or tragedy.

Opportunities to expand the elective field for an office as important as Congress should be seized, not shunned. Lawmaker should clear up this mess at the first opportunity in 1997. And the secretary of state next year, whoever is holding that office then, must be in the forefront of pushing for appropriate revision of this law.