Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft Refutes Audit Allegations

Ashcroft, Running for Governor, Defends Decision to Leave National Voting System

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has refuted allegations made by state Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick that Ashcroft violated state law by not releasing cybersecurity reviews of local election authorities.
Ashcroft, who is running for governor, argues that the audit report is politically motivated and that the agency does not understand the issues at hand.
The audit report, which gave a 'fair' rating to the secretary of state's office, criticized Ashcroft's decision to stop using the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a national system designed to improve voting accuracy.
Ashcroft defended his decision to leave ERIC, stating that he spent a year trying to help reform the system before opting out. He also said that Missouri has a strong reputation for honest elections under his watch.
The dispute comes as Ashcroft is running a hard-right campaign for governor, facing two GOP challengers in Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and state Sen. Bill Eigel.