This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: October 24, 2008 - "I think Missourians deserve the same convenience that voters in 30 or 35 other states already have, including seven of eight of our neighboring states," said Carnahan, the Democratic candidate.
Previous efforts to introduce early voting have failed because of what Carnahan termed "petty politics."
"My office introduced the exact same bill Matt Blunt introduced when he was secretary of state, and when he introduced it, all the Republicans were for it and the Democrats were against it,'' Carnahan said. "When I introduced it, it was just the opposite. We didn't even change a comma. Obviously, there was nothing about the proposal that was different, but because it's about elections people automatically think there's some political advantage to be had. I think that's nonsense. I think the advantage here is to voters across the board, no matter how they vote.''
Carnahan, who was elected in 2004 by a margin of 100,000 votes, is the clear frontrunner in the race. She is opposed by Republican Mitchell Hubbard of Fulton, who says he is running to ensure fair ballot language and to reduce voter fraud.
Also on the ballot: Libertarian Wes Upchurch of Columbia and Constitution Party candidate Denise C. Neely of Cedar Hill.
Carnahan runs on her record
Carnahan has the incumbent's advantage, plus a name that Missouri voters know well. She is the daughter of Mel Carnahan, who served as governor, and Jean Carnahan, the state's first woman U.S. senator. Jean Carnahan was appointed to fill the Senate seat won by her husband, who died in a plane crash three weeks before the 2000 election. Robin Carnahan's brother, Russ, is a U.S. representative.
Voters should be prepared
Although this interview focused on the race for Missouri secretary of state, incumbent Robin Carnahan took the opportunity to encourage voters to be ready when they go to the polls on Nov. 4.
"The lines are going to be long, and the more each voter can be prepared, the quicker things will go. The other thing I want to remind people of is that straight-ticket balloting was abolished in the state in 2006, which means it will take some extra time to go through and vote on each of those races,'' Carnahan said.
She suggests that voters visit the secretary of state's website to verify registration, find polling places and download sample ballots.
"It's going to be a long ballot -- some parts in St. Louis County will have between 30 and 40 measures to vote for,'' Carnahan said.
Carnahan, 47, has an economics degree from William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., and a law degree from the University of Virginia. After college, she practiced at the Thompson and Mitchell law firm (now Thompson and Coburn) in St. Louis. She and her husband live in St. Louis.
During her term, Carnahan said she has focused on using common sense and innovation to improve the efficiency of the secretary of state's office.
"I think we have a terrific track record, but there's more to do, and that's why I'm running for re-election,'' Carnahan said. "The office is not a typical political job where you are debating policy. It's an office where you're expected to get things done for many, many customers.''
Allowing businesses to register for licenses online, for example, cut red tape, paperwork and has saved more than $7 million, Carnahan said.
She has also developed online access to the state's historical archives, including genealogical records.
"People love it; we had 23 million hits on the archives website last year,'' she said.
Carnahan also points to successes in regulating securities. In August, her office was instrumental in forcing a $9 billion settlement with Wachovia Securities to return investments to investors who had been misled.
"That was a terrific success for people who rely on us,'' Carnahan said.
Carnahan said that although the secretary of state's office is most known for overseeing elections, much of the responsibility rests with the local election officials who actually run them.
"Our job is to give good guidance to local election officials,'' Carnahan said.
To that end, Carnahan said her office has worked hard to ensure that enough paper ballots have been printed and has been actively recruiting poll workers, including college students.
"The average age of poll workers in our state is 72, and they're wonderful to do it because it's a long, hard day, but we need to have young folks there to help them, particularly with the technology that we now have in the polling places," Carnahan said.
She notes that Missouri was recently recognized by the Brennan Center, Common Cause and Verified Voting as one of the states best prepared for the coming election.
"But I'm not satisfied with that,'' Carnahan said. "I want to make sure that the voters of Missouri feel the same way. And that means we need to keep working until Election Day.''
Hubbard assails voter fraud and ballot language
With minimal campaign funds, Hubbard, the Republican candidate, said he has been relying on word-of-mouth and participating in forums and debates across the state.
Hubbard, 35, who manages a McDonald's restaurant in Fulton, says he has always been interested in politics. He earned an education degree from what is now the University of Central Missouri and a law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City; he has never practiced law. He worked for the state's department of corrections for two years. He and his wife home school their seven children -- four boys and three girls, who range in age from 14 months to 13 years.
Hubbard said he would work to cut waste and promote Missouri businesses.
"I would be a hands-on secretary of state -- not somebody who sits in Jefferson City and makes decisions in an ivory tower but who actually goes out at least a couple of times a year to different parts of the state to meet with business leaders, county clerks and everyday Missourians,'' Hubbard said. "The best way to serve them is to better understand how they actually relate to your office."
In 2006, Hubbard served as a coordinator of Missourians Against Human Cloning, a group that opposed Amendment 2, which allows stem-cell research. Last year, he worked on the Cures Without Cloning campaign that would have repealed sections of Amendment 2.
Supporters of that amendment, which is not on the ballot this year, challenged the language of the ballot summary, as written by the secretary of state's office. Although a Cole County judge ruled in their favor, an appellate judge upheld the Carnahan's original language, changing the word "repeal" to "change."
Hubbard has challenged Carnahan for writing ballot language that he calls unfair.
"I believe that regardless of what party you are or where your positions are on the issues, when you go to vote you expect to have a fair ballot, and you expect to have a fair election,'' Hubbard said.
Carnahan said she stands behind her office's record for writing ballot summaries of proposed laws or amendments in language voters will understand.
"The law requires they be summarized in 100 words or less, with a question mark at the end. They can be very complicated issues that are many, many pages long. The record of our office has been tremendous," Carnahan said.
Carnahan estimated that her office has written more than 50 ballot summaries since she's been in office, with about 20 of those challenged in court. But she said the courts have upheld her office with the exception of that one-word change. She said challenges by proponents and opponents of such measures are to be expected.
"Their job is to advocate for one side or another. They don't like it when the words don't advocate for them, and often we get sued by both sides. So I figure we must be doing something right," Carnahan said.
Carnahan said Hubbard is one of those advocates.
"He was on the payroll of one of the organizations, Missourians Against Human Cloning, that was an advocate for one side. So, he and other advocates -- on both sides of that issue -- have been unhappy with our ballot language,'' Carnahan said.
Hubbard has also criticized Carnahan's response during a recent debate to a question about alleged voter fraud by the community organization ACORN.
"When it comes to election fraud, Robin Carnahan really doesn't get it,'' Hubbard said. "Because she denies there is a problem with election fraud and when asked about ACORN, she says the system is working. The fact is, the system is not working properly, and we need to take steps to stop ACORN from doing the things they're doing.''
Hubbard said ACORN should be prevented from paying people for collecting voter registrations.
"They'll collect hundreds or thousands of voter registration cards and turn them in at the last possible minute in certain areas. County clerks are overwhelmed trying to figure out 'Is this an actual person?' or 'Are they valid for voting?' It makes it very difficult for them. We need better regulations,'' Hubbard said.
Carnahan responds that the system is, in fact, working.
"We've had 250,000 new voter registrations in Missouri, and I understand there were a handful in the Kansas City area in Jackson County that have looked suspect,'' Carnahan said. "And instead of screaming there's something wrong, I wish for once we'd say, 'Well done, election officials' for these folks out there who were able to make sure that voter registrations that were not accurate don't get on the voter list. I think the first step is to say, 'Thanks and congratulations.' And secondly, if there's somebody who needs to be prosecuted for doing something fraudulent, go after them. There's no reason to pretend that this is something more than it is.''
Carnahan also disagrees with Hubbard's belief that voters should be required to show government-issued identification, such as a driver's license, to vote.
"That is sort of a curious issue to me,'' Carnahan said. "In Missouri, you already need to identify yourself when you vote. The disagreement stems from Republicans wanting to limit the kind of IDs you can use to only one -- a government-issued photo ID.''
Carnahan said there are 240,000 residents of Missouri who are legitimate eligible voters but who don't have a current state driver's license, including older people who no longer drive.
