A new PAC called VOTE 417 supports 'voting rights' candidates in southwest Missouri

Attempting to combat a raft of election law changes across the country following the 2020 election, a Springfield-based group formed late last year to "defend" the voting rights of Missourians.

According to their website, Vote 417 believes the "most precious right as Americans is the right to vote, and have our votes counted."

"Every eligible citizen who wants to vote should be able to vote, and vote easily. We support candidates and causes that advance voter rights, and vigorously oppose those that support voter suppression."

Speaking to the News-Leader, group treasurer Jacob Brower pointed to the many efforts in Republican-controlled states to change election laws as evidence for this attack on voting rights.

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"In response to the big lie, 19 states — 38% of our nation — passed laws making it harder to vote. Some states have even given themselves the authority to overtake local election boards, and have given legislatures power to overturn election results they don’t like," Brower said.

The "big lie" to which Brower refers are the false conspiracies claiming massive fraud in the 2020 election. Brower said those lies fueled both these "voter suppression" efforts and the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol. For Brower, the voting legislation in many states was "nearly as bad" as that insurrection.

"As I sat in my office overlooking downtown Springfield on Tuesday, January 6, 2021, watching the events at our nation’s Capitol unfold, I was furious. Looking back, I can’t quite decide whether I couldn’t believe what I was watching, or if I could believe it all too well. The January 6 terrorist attack and the events leading up to it were the darkest, most shameful days in our nation’s history since the Civil War."

"Democracy is dying in broad daylight, and most of us don’t even realize it," he said.

Asked what laws he believed meant to suppress the vote, Brower pointed to a bill passed by Georgia last year that restricted absentee voting, strengthened voter ID requirement and expanded early voting in rural counties.

"There was a bill that was passed and signed into law where the legislature can simply override election results they don't like, which should frighten everyone," Brower said of the Georgia law. "Luckily, that hasn't come to Missouri but that doesn't mean it never will."

That is in reference to a provision of the law allowing the Georgia legislature to appoint members to the state election board — who will have the power to suspend county or municipal election official based a violation of election board rules.

Over the summer, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft outlined his priorities for a similar "election integrity reform" bill — including photo ID for in-person voting, "strong ID requirements" for absentee voting, a shift to paper ballots, eliminating "curing" (or fixing errors) on absentee ballots and several measures pertaining to voting machines and cybersecurity.

But Ashcroft pointed specifically to an election bill passed in Texas, which he called a "model" for Missouri.

More: Missouri lawmakers consider making it harder for voters to change state constitution

"The test of our nation’s election system is not found in landslides, but when the outcome turns upon a handful of votes. Voter fraud need not be massive to undermine an election’s outcome. And people are more likely to vote if they believe their ballot will be fairly counted," Ashcroft wrote in a brief supporting the Texas law.

Brower said he hopes his group can stand against such efforts by opposing candidates in Southwest Missouri that support these laws.

"We’re more of a movement than an organization. We welcome anyone who wants to preserve American democracy, regardless of party. As long as you agree that the will of the people must be honored, there is a place for you in VOTE 417," he said.

"To have a functioning democracy, you have to accept the fact that your candidate won’t always win. For the first time in my life, I’m a single-issue voter. Until we save democracy, everything else is secondary."

Asked if laws like those in Georgia and Texas were needed to protect against fraud, Brower said election integrity does not come at the expense of voting access.

"There's kind of a mistaken impression that election security and the ease in which someone can vote are opposites and I don't believe that's the case. I believe you can have secure elections and you can have ease of voting."

In addition to supporting candidates, the PAC will "inform the public of registration deadlines, polling places, and their rights as voters."

Since forming in December 2021, Brower said VOTE 417 has grown to more than a hundred members. Interested readers can learn more at vote417.org.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Political PAC VOTE 417 supports Missouri's 'voting rights' candidates