A Response to the Graphic Circulating from St. Charles County Election Director Kurt Bahr

T​​oday, I became aware that St. Charles County Director of Elections Kurt Bahr has circulated a graphic claiming Missouri elections already align closely with President Trump’s election integrity priorities. Some county clerks have begun resharing it.

Not so fast.

Anyone concerned about the actual state of election integrity in Missouri should read the May 2022 report from Missouri Canvassers titled “Missouri Elections are Impossible to Validate.” The report remains highly relevant. You can read it here: Missouri Elections are Impossible to Validate

“There is NO ‘final’ list of everyone who voted in any Missouri election. It is impossible to verify who voted in, or conduct a full audit of, any Missouri election.”

Missouri Canvassers Report: “Missouri Elections are Impossible to Validate”

The Core Problem: Elections That Cannot Be Fully Validated

The central finding of the report is straightforward: There is no final, verifiable list of exactly who cast ballots in any Missouri election.

Missouri law allows counties up to six months to report voter history to the statewide system. By the time that reporting is complete, the voter rolls have already changed through additions, deletions, and routine maintenance. As a result, neither counties nor the Secretary of State can produce an accurate, static list of who participated in any given election. Without that list, a full audit is impossible.

I recently attended a HAVA complaint hearing where State Elections Director Chrissy Peters was questioned on related transparency and statewide voter list issues. The responses were evasive on key points regarding verifiable voter participation.

Graphic from St. Charles County Election Director Kurt Bahr comparing Missouri law to President Trump’s election integrity proposals
Kurt Bahr's Graphic

What Bahr’s Graphic Gets Right — and What It Misses

Bahr’s graphic correctly notes that Missouri has photo ID requirements and uses paper ballots with some testing and audit procedures. These are real strengths.

However, the graphic significantly downplays important shortcomings:

  • Missouri still relies on simple attestation rather than requiring documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote — a core element of the integrity measures President Trump has emphasized.

  • While recent efforts have removed many ineligible names from the rolls, serious vulnerabilities remain in how names are added in the first place. Missouri still lacks strong preventive verification measures at the point of registration.

  • Historical use of third-party poll worker management software (including in St. Charles County itself until 2021) raises legitimate ongoing questions about data handling and vendor oversight.

The Bottom Line

Trust in elections is earned through transparency and verifiable processes — not marketing graphics or claims that everything is already fine.

Missouri has made progress in some areas, but we are still far from having elections that are fully transparent and auditable by the public. Reclaiming verifiable, locally controlled elections remains essential.

I encourage central committee members, election officials, and voters to read the full Missouri Canvassers report rather than accepting the narrative that “we have no problems here.”

I am happy to answer specific questions about the findings or discuss practical steps for stronger Missouri election integrity measures, including expanded hand counting where feasible.

Your Vote Counts, so COUNT YOUR VOTE!

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