A bill that would give the Secretary of State’s office the authority to prosecute voter fraud in Missouri is being submitted for 2016. The bill would also allow the Secretary of State to write probable cause statements in potential voter fraud cases. “It allows them to prosecute voter fraud cases if the local prosecutor chooses not to or doesn’t have the resources,” said Senator Will Kraus (R-Lee’s Summit), who is sponsoring the bill. “There are some small counties in the state of Missouri that may not have the resources and then there are some large counties that may be taking care of more violent crimes and other things that the prosecutors are a little busy with and don’t have the time for a voter fraud case.”
Denise Lieberman with civil rights group Advancement Project said county prosecutors should continue to prosecute such crimes. “I do find it curious that this will seek to give some new prosecutorial authority to an office that doesn’t currently have prosecutorial authority,” said Lieberman.
Lieberman said the current system is working. “I don’t see any evidence in stats that the Secretary of State has failed to adequately investigate any complaints of voting irregularities, nor do I see any evidence that prosecutors have failed to act on those complaints when they’ve been valid,” said Lieberman.
Full Article: Bill Would Let Sec. of State Prosecute Voter Fraud – Story.