COUNTY CLERKS TOLD OF IMPORTANCE OF VOTING

The best way to increase voter registration and participation is to create a new generation of young people who recognize the importance of democracy and exercising the right to vote, Secretary of State Roy Blunt told a group of county clerks here Thursday.

"I am convinced no matter how much we do in making voter registration easier and how much we encourage participation in the process, we will never do as well as we can until we raise a generation of Missourians who recognize the importance of voting in a democracy," said Blunt.

Speaking at the 85th annual conference and training session of the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities, Blunt said his office is providing a voting guide for secondary level students that will take them through the elections process. The book, now in its second printing and funded by private sources, starts with how Americans got the right to vote and to run for office in Missouri.

Blunt told the clerks that as election authorities of this state they play an important role in making sure people believe that elections are fair.

"For a democracy to work, you have to believe elections are fair," said Blunt. "You have to have a fair election system that produces fair results."

He stressed that with other nations of the world turning to democracy it is important that citizens of this country do not forget that voting is a cornerstone of government.

Blunt said that capitalism and democracy are pillars of society. He said, "People all over the world are turning to the pillars of our society; our way of life is winning all over the world."

The secretary of state also stressed the importance of education. "An educated citizenry is essential to the long-term growth of a democracy," said Blunt, adding that education is also a major factor in a state's and nation's abilities to have a strong economy.

Blunt, whose office works directly with county clerks not only on elections and voter registration but also campaign reporting and other areas, praised the clerks for the work they do and their cooperation with staff in his office.

He used Thursday's luncheon as an opportunity to bring clerks up to date on some issues of importance to them.

Clerks from nearly all 114 Missouri counties were in Cape Girardeau for the conference, which concludes around noon today. Several of the training sessions were conducted by staff of the secretary of state's office.

Cape Girardeau County Clerk Rodney Miller is concluding a term as president of the association.

Blunt pointed out that Proposition B, which will be on the Nov. 5 general election ballot, will be the longest issue voters have ever had to consider at the polls. He said legal notices being run on the proposed tax increase for education are four newspaper pages long.

Blunt explained the status of Missouri's redistricting processes. He said congressional redistricting is already finished; state Senate redistricting is likely to go to the courts; and state House redistricting should be wrapped up by Sept. 21.

He said a plan for the House districts is on file with his office, and unless some commission members change their minds, the plan will become effective after Sept. 21. "Those 163 House districts appear to be in place," said Blunt, adding that his office will be getting the new boundaries out to election authorities as soon as possible.

Blunt said he supports legislation that would have the state share in paying election costs for primary and general elections. He said it makes good sense for the state to pay its share and take some of the burden off of county governments.

Blunt urged the county clerks to be alert to schemes that might be offered by companies to improve the county's financial condition. He announced that his office had secured a cease-and-desist order against Diversified Municipal Services, a group talking with officials in financially strapped counties about building prisoners.

One of the counties the company approached is Carter County in Southeast Missouri.

Blunt said the company was not in compliance with state law and lacked the proper certification to do business in the state.

The secretary of state's office is responsible for implementing a new state law that requires local officials to file ethics statements. Eventually, an ethics commission will be formed to oversee both campaign finance disclosure and ethics laws. With the new law, Blunt predicted that the state will see better enforcement of ethics and campaign reporting.

He said 700 of about 1,000 local political subdivisions in the state have filed their own ethics plans. If local governments do not file their own ethics plans by Sept. 15, they must follow a more stringent set of guidelines required by state law.

Blunt said his office has received about $500,000 in requests for $250,000 in grant money that is available for distribution through the local records-preservation program. The deadline for applications was Sept. 1, and the decisions should be made next month.

The secretary of state also outlined a new program for educating Missouri students about investments, which was unveiled earlier in the day at a meeting of teachers in St. Louis.

The program is funded by penalties paid by companies that have violated Missouri securities laws. Members of Blunt's staff are conducting seminars around the state for teachers from approximately 300 high school classes.

"This is a case where crime pays," said Blunt. "It pays for bringing information to students about how to invest in the stock market and how to avoid getting ripped off by unscrupulous salesmen."

The "Stock Market Unit" notebook is a curriculum guide for teachers that includes lessons on the stock market and a video tape on consumer fraud. It includes 10 lesson plans developed by the securities division of the secretary of state's office.