Judge rejects Missouri lawsuit that sought early voting observers

SF. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge on Friday denied a Republican committeeman’s effort to force the state’s third-largest county to allows observers or challengers to observe early voting.

Judge Dewayne Johnson wrote that the document filed by the Central County Board of St. Charles, Travis Allen Heins, “does not meet the requirements” of a temporary restraining order. Johnson did not consider the merits of the case, but dismissed the appeal because it was not written according to state legal standards.

“I’m not a lawyer and I’ve never claimed to be,” Heins told The Associated Press. He called the ruling disappointing, but said his request “opens up the conversation” about the need to clarify the roles of observers and challengers during Missouri’s early voting period.

The Director of Elections for St. Charles, Kurt Bahr, welcomed the decision.

“Candidates from both political parties will be present at multiple polling places on Election Day as permitted by state law,” Bahr said in a statement. “We hope the legislature can provide clarity on this issue during the next session.”

This is Missouri’s first non-excused absentee presidential election, and turnout was heavy in many places, including St. Charles. Bahr expected 2,500 voters a day, but daily totals often reached around 5,000. The county, in the suburb of St. Louis, has approximately 420,000 inhabitants.

Under Missouri law, each political party on the ballot can nominate a challenger for each polling place on Election Day. Heins’ petition argued that he should be allowed to observe now because ballots are indeed tabulated as soon as voters enter them into a scanner.

“When election authorities deny the presence of a Challenger or Watcher, the security and transparency of elections are compromised,” Heins wrote in his petition.

Leaders of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition said more people have been discouraged from voting since the ban request.

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