Tuesday, I headed to Jefferson City, accompanied by my campaign committee and the media (well, my son with a video camera), all four of us fitting comfortably inside my son’s 1986 Cadillac. It was a gorgeous day, sunny with clouds, and there was political discussion (imagine that!) all the way there and back. We crossed the wide Missouri into the capital (and missed our exit) shortly after 11am, and just a few minutes later we were walking into the lobby of the James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center (try to avoid getting a building named after yourself – it usually means you’re dead).
The Missouri Secretary of State’s office seems to be very well run. I’ve previously dealt with them only through their web site (Fictitious Names, LLC filing, etc.), but on the first day of filing for office (which is when most people show up) they had friendly, helpful people everywhere, with all of the steps in the filing process neatly spread throughout the building.
We were first greeted in the lobby, by a man who directed us to the Department of Revenue’s desk, where I was to turn in my affidavit declaring that I was not aware of any tax delinquency on my part.
“You’ve filled it all out!” exclaimed one of the women from the DOR, as the other looked over her shoulder.
“Wasn’t I supposed to?” I asked, a bit puzzled (I had not only filled it out, I had it notarized, as the instructions indicated).
“Yes!” she responded with a big smile (apparently, though, many applicants hadn’t).
The next table I visited was occupied by the representative of the Missouri Democratic Party, who cheerfully accepted my check for $100 and wrote me a receipt. Then we walked up to the third floor, where the Secretary of State’s office is, to begin the actual registration.
I struck up conversations with some of the people I met in the line there, and when Secretary of State Robin Carnahan came by, had a photo taken with her.
“What office are you running for?” she asked.
“Nothing personal,” I said, “I’m running for the seat your brother is in.”
“Be nice.” She replied.
The rest of the time was spent at various desks, checking my ID and the forms I’d taken care of in the lobby downstairs, picking a random number to determine my position on the ballot, verifying my status as a registered voter and recording a message identifying myself for the visually impaired. Then it was to the main desk to get copies of everything and the process was complete.
The ballot application process is complete, but the actual work of the campaign is just begun. So, what are you doing this spring and summer? Do you want to help change our country for the better? We all should be concerned about the financial mess our nation is in and doing all we can to move it to fiscal solid ground. We need people to help with canvassing, we need help setting up neighborhood meetings and we need financial contributions. We need to act now if we really want to secure our future. Call or email me if you’re ready to get involved.
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