The 5 Q's: Missouri's 7th Congressional District candidates (Question 3)

Jul. 14—EDITOR'S NOTE — In this feature, we put five questions before Missouri's 7th Congressional District candidates. Twelve candidates are vying for the seat held by Billy Long, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Roy Blunt.

Candidates are Democrats John M. Woodman, Kristen Radaker-Sheafer and Bryce F. Lockwood; Republicans Jay Wasson, Eric Burlison, Audrey Richards, Camille Lombardi-Olive, Sam Alexander, Alex Bryant, Paul Walker and Mike Moon; and Libertarian Kevin Craig. Wasson, Burlison and Bryant did not return multiple requests for comment.

The candidates are listed in the order they appear on the ballot.

Woodman: At least 64 courts — including the U.S. Supreme Court — and more than 80 judges of both parties examined the claims of election fraud and the evidence presented, and concluded that these claims were completely false and without any basis at all. These courts and judges were joined by every election authority in every relevant state, Attorney General William Barr, the FBI, the CIA and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Intelligence Agency. This judgment was — and remains — unanimous.

Before I spent 5.5 years looking for solutions to all of our major problems, I authored a book honestly investigating the claims that Barack Obama's birth certificate was a fake. I understand how false claims can be piled on top of each other to create an outwardly convincing story. But both sets of claims — those regarding Obama's birth certificate and those about the 2020 election — are false. They are deceptions.

I call upon all Americans, and especially my Republican friends, to embrace God's truth: Donald Trump decisively lost the 2020 election. He then blatantly lied to you, and used every supporter he could, in a brazen attempt to overturn our free and fair election and keep power for himself. These are not the actions of a patriot, or of a man who loves America. Trump loves only power and himself. Yes, I am advocating for changes in our election laws, including the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. We must safeguard our democratic republic or we stand in real danger of losing America itself.

Radaker-Sheafer: I had the honor of serving as a poll worker for the 2020 general election. Before then, I had some doubts about how secure our elections really were. After attending the required training, I learned the extensive checks and balances of our election system, and the amount of redundancy and requirement of bipartisan participation involved in handling, counting and transporting the ballots. All of these measures, along with the year-round work of elections officials at the local, state and federal level, are what ensure our elections are free and fair. I am convinced that voter fraud on any significant level would be impossible, and we should be proud of the systems we have built to keep our elections secure.

Lockwood: By Attorney General Barr's own admission, there was no widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Joseph Biden legitimately won by millions of votes. No need to rock the boat. Several secretaries of state have stated that the 2020 election was the most secure on record.

Richards: I have seen no evidence to indicate the 2020 election was stolen.

Lombardi-Olive: In my 43 years as a voter, I have never seen vote counting stop when one candidate was ahead — and seemed poised to win — then resumed hours later after hundreds of thousands of "votes" magically appeared overnight giving the win to the other candidate. I do not believe that we have safe and secure elections, and it is apparent that election integrity is nonexistent. No one on either side seems willing to actually get anything passed — to guarantee that each vote counts and to ensure that our elections cannot be manipulated by fraud and abuse.

Alexander: I believe the 2020 election was legally manipulated as elected officials in some states changed regulations and policies that may have challenged the "one person, one vote" guidance to protect your and my vote. The pandemic opened the door for this manipulation. We need to go back to the voting guidelines and procedures provided in state laws as it was before 2020. Here is the time-proven guidance: Are you 18 years of age? Are you a citizen of the United States? Are you registered to vote in the jurisdiction where you reside so that you can properly vote for school boards, municipal council members, county and state legislators, federal legislators, the president and vice president? Vote either by absentee ballot if eligible or at a secure polling place on Election Day between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. These basic election laws do not need to be changed; they need to be strictly followed.

Walker: There was much evidence that the election had some serious issues like mail-in voting and drop boxes and blocking poll watchers. So I would give the candidate who lost every opportunity to challenge the election but place a time limit on the challenge. Then when the time was up, declare a winner and all move on. There should be voter ID and only allow for one day to vote. Introduce legislation to prohibit billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and George Soros from dumping funds into elections.

Moon: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin had election results which were contested. Although Vice President Mike Pence did not exercise the option, I believe he had the authority to not certify the election results. I believe the states should have been given adequate time to investigate the questions which arose as a result of their elections. Record high voter turnout was recorded in some states, which raises some question about the validity of the results. Ultimately it is the responsibility of each state to pass election laws. We certainly do not want the federal government to have authority and control over elections.

Craig: No evidence? According to Rasmussen polls, among voters who have seen the documentary "2000 Mules," 85% of Republicans, 68% of Democrats and 77% of unaffiliated voters say the movie strengthened their conviction that there was systematic and widespread election fraud in the 2020 election. I agree with the majorities on this issue. (That doesn't always happen.) All federal laws that used COVID-19 as an excuse to reduce voter security should be repealed. Voter ID and paper ballots should be encouraged. I did not vote for Trump. I would never vote for Trump. He is not a Libertarian, and he is a loathsome person. But he is not qualitatively worse than any other recent president. "Trump Derangement Syndrome" motivated massive voter fraud.

Question 4 is coming Friday, with the last question running Saturday.