93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
Legislation calling for the official ballot in Missouri to be a paper ballot hand-marked by the voter has been filed by a veteran state lawmaker from Joplin.
Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon, a Democrat, tells “Wake Up Columbia” that she’s been reviewing the legislation from State Sen. Bill White (R-Joplin).
“When you look at any of the rankings or any of the assessments that a lot of the think tanks give Missouri, we are a paper ballot state already because we have everybody voting either on hand-marked paper ballot or using one of those devices,” Lennon tells “Wake Up Columbia.”
White’s legislation, Senate Bill 670, also bans the use of touchscreen and electronic vote-counting machines starting in January 2024. It also would prohibit the use of direct-recording voting machines.
“Actually, I think it’s great that we are banning direct recording electronic voting machines. Nobody is using them anymore. Everybody has purchased the newest versions of voting equipment,” says Lennon.
Missouri’s 2022 session begins on January 5 in Jefferson City.
