From Missouri Digital News: https://mdn.org

JEFFERSON CITY - Republican candidate for Secretary of State Mitch Hubbard said the biggest challenge for the next secretary of state will be to guarantee fair elections and stop voter fraud.

"Regardless of our party, when we go to vote we expect to see ballot language that is clear and right," Hubbard said.

Valinda Freed worked with Hubbard during a 2006 fight to stop an amendment to allow scientists to perform all federally approved stem-cell research, a time when she said he first expressed interest in the position.

"He was appalled at the job the Secretary of State had done," Freed said. "He thought it was not handled properly."

The secretary of state's office summarizes proposed laws or constitutional amendment's in plain language for voters. But, Freed said Hubbard felt the ballot language provided by the secretary of state's office was not accurate.

"He felt it was totally misleading, people didn't know what they were voting for," Freed said. "When he saw the intervention that the Secretary of State, Mrs. Carnahan, did that definitely reinforced his thinking."

After the amendment was approved by Missouri voters Hubbard joined a group which challenged Carnahan's ballot language in court calling the language "insufficient" and "unfair."

A Cole County Judge ruled in their favor but upon appeal a new judge sided with the secretary of state's office.

Freed said Hubbard was passionate about the stem cell research issue because "he was extremely committed to the cause of life."

She said while working against the ballot initiative, Hubbard always went above and beyond.

"He took all the free time he had to make sure that every member of the team had exactly what they needed," Freed said. "If you really wanted to sum him up he is a strong Christian patriot."

Hubbard said he became a Christian in his mid-20s and it "transformed my life. My perspective on life changed."

If he is elected Hubbard, who currently manages a McDonald's in Fulton, also wants to focus on election fraud.

"The system's not working and we do have election fraud," Hubbard said.

Hubbard supports stricter voter identification laws and wants to take actions organizations that allow for voter fraud.

 

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