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PrintJEFFERSON CITY — The secretary of state’s office asked the Department of Justice on Tuesday for help getting Boone County — the one holdout county — to join the statewide voter registration database.
All states are required under federal law to create a statewide voter list, but Boone County has refused to go along, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan’s office said Tuesday evening.
Boone County Clerk Wendy Noren did not immediately return messages seeking comment. She previously said it was unfair for localities to pay for upgrades wanted by the state.
The idea behind a statewide list is that the secretary of state’s office can check the voter list against other records to see who has moved or died, for example, and then inform local election officials of names to drop.
“Federal law requires Missouri to have one comprehensive list of all the registered voters in the state,” Carnahan said in a statement. “With one county refusing to participate, it could jeopardize the integrity and accuracy of the entire statewide voter list. Therefore we are asking the U.S. Department of Justice to step in and take the appropriate legal action.”
Carnahan’s office said all jurisdictions except Boone County have agreed to participate. Most already are using the system, but St. Louis County and Jackson County are still working out some bugs, spokesman Mike Seitz said. They should be up and running by the August primary.
The Justice Department sued Carnahan late last year, claiming Missouri had failed to take reasonable steps to keep its voter rolls up to date. As a result, the Justice Department claimed Missouri’s voter rolls may include some people who have died or moved and exclude others who should still be eligible to vote. That lawsuit is pending.
A Justice Department spokesman could not be reached for comment after business hours on Tuesday.
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