By K. Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis, Mo. – Missouri's effort to improve its elections process is getting a financial boost from the federal government.
The state will use its first payment of $17.3 million to upgrade its centralized voter registration database and replace punch card ballots with electronic equipment.
"I think this is an important validation and expression of both the Congress and the president's intent that we will have free and fair elections for years to come,"
said Brad Scott who is with the US General Services Administration, the agency administering the funding.
Since experiencing a variety of polling problems in the November 2000 election, Missouri has held two statewide elections free from scandal.