Missouri secretary of state accused of withholding cybersecurity reviews of election authorities | Sophia Fox-Sowell/StateScoop
Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick has released an audit report accusing Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft of violating state law by refusing to provide cybersecurity reviews of Missouri’s 116 local election authorities. House bill 1878, passed in 2022, mandates cybersecurity reviews every two years, with results to be submitted to the state auditor’s office. Ashcroft’s office disputes the findings, citing concerns about revealing confidential information. The audit also criticizes Ashcroft’s decision to end Missouri’s participation in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), impacting the accuracy of voting rolls. Despite Ashcroft’s defense, the audit suggests a lack of evaluation before exiting ERIC, leading to less efficient voter roll maintenance. Read Article