These 3 Democrats are running for Missouri Secretary of State in August primary

Missouri's primary election is less than one month away and candidates for several statewide races are working quickly to wrap up last-minute campaign strategies before appearing on the ballot. One of these races is Missouri Secretary of State.

Missouri's current Secretary of State is Jay Ashcroft, who is running for governor.

The secretary of state is the chief elections official in Missouri, administering statewide elections involving individuals and issues and overseeing local verification of petition signatures for initiative petitions.

The Office of the Secretary of State serves as a clearinghouse of information in Missouri. The State Archives and Missouri State Library both fall under the jurisdiction of this office.

The Secretary of State also oversees the registration of businesses in Missouri, can authenticate official acts of the governor and has the authority to appoint and commission notaries public.

Missouri's primary election is Tuesday, Aug 6. This election narrows down the candidates to determine who appears as each party's nominee in November's general election.

Ahead of the election, there are 12 people running for Missouri Secretary of State, including eight Republicans, three Democrats and one Libertarian. The News-Leader was able to speak with 10 of the candidates about their backgrounds, campaigns and desires for the position, including all three Democrats.

More: What's on the ballot in Springfield and Greene County in the August primary elections

Haley Jacobson

Democrat candidate Haley Jacobson has worked a hodge-podge of jobs throughout her life.

A St. Louis native, Jacobson is an alumna of Reed College in Portland, Oregon and most recently Goldfarb School of Nursing in St. Louis. Throughout her multi-industry career, Jacobson has worked as an EMT, a teacher in China and Cambodia, and as a loan officer for the International Institute of St. Louis.

Today, she is a licensed nurse, working between the NICU at the St. Louis Children's Hospital and adult emergency room at St. Louis University.

Jacobson said in an interview with the News-Leader that her two main points of interest are promoting business education and supporting libraries.

"One of the things I did as a loan officer for the International Institute, I worked directly with immigrants and refugees who wanted to start a business and help them design a business plan and do market research ... so that they could be successful when they launched their business," Jacobson said. "That really got me interested in how business rules work in Missouri. It can be a bit complicated and confusing, I think, and I don't think it necessarily needs to be."

More: Access news, today's paper anywhere you go with the Springfield News-Leader app

Specifically, Jacobson said she would also like to expand the technology the Office of the Secretary of State offers to business owners, in addition to expanding the office's hours for customer service support.

As a self-described "life-long learner," Jacobson said libraries have played a "big role" in her education. As Secretary of State, Jacobson would be interested in supporting libraries in underserved areas.

Speaking to the News-Leader on June 28, Jacobson said the majority of her campaign has been conducted via word of mouth with friends and family. She does not have an official campaign team working with her.

Barbara Phifer

Democrat candidate Barbara Phifer is looking to further her career in Missouri politics.

A Columbia, Missouri native, Phifer has lived and worked in the St. Louis area for the last 34 years. She attended Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa before pursuing a master's in divinity. She served as a pastor in the United Methodist Church for 41 years before retiring in 2019. In 2020, she was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives to represent District 90, which encompasses St. Louis County.

Two of Phifer's main points of interest as a candidate are elections and local libraries.

Phifer said she would like to see more "clear and accurate" ballot language. Specifically, Phifer expressed concern with how current Secretary of State Ashcroft attempted to ban the right to abortion in the state constitution in 2023.

More: Missouri Supreme Court won’t hear Jay Ashcroft’s appeal of abortion ballot summaries

"Our current Secretary of State wrote ballot language on the abortion amendment question that was so skewed that our Supreme Court in Missouri, in a sudden ... decision, threw it out. That is a huge concern for me."

When it comes to elections, Phifer said she would also like to show more appreciation to election officials.

On the topic of libraries, Phifer said she would like to continue making the state's library system more "robust," allowing local organizations to delegate how local libraries function.

"It seems to me like we've got a good system," Phifer said. "Libraries across the state are going to have different types of books because of different types of populations. Local groups are the ones that need to figure that out. It doesn't make sense to run it any other way."

Phifer added that she believes parents should be the ones to determine what their children read, not libraries or the government.

During her campaign, Phifer visited Springfield during the Greene County Democrat Days of the Ozarks, which was held in April.

As of June 26, Phifer was endorsed by the St. Louis Labor Council, Missouri AFL-CIO Committee On Political Education, Sierra Club, Missouri Women's Political Caucus, PROMO and Abortion Action.

Monique Williams

Democrat Monique Williams is a retiree looking to enter state government.

Williams has resided in St. Louis her entire life. In 2022, she retired from the City of St. Louis as an auditor and accountant. She is an alumna of University of Missouri-St. Louis and holds a Certified Public Accountant license. Prior to working for the City of St. Louis, she worked in the Missouri State Auditor's Office.

In an interview with the News-Leader, Williams said her primary focuses are elections, business registration resources and public libraries.

Williams said her primary focus for elections would be looking into why Secretary of State Ashcroft removed Missouri from the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, in 2023. ERIC is a voluntary nationwide system that aims to help states combat voter fraud.

More: Jay Ashcroft withdraws Missouri from group designed to help combat voter fraud

When it comes to the business registration arm of the Office of the Secretary of State, Williams said she would like to make resource information more accessible to Missourians and strengthen customer service aids.

And for libraries, Williams said she is particularly interested in seeing stronger connections built between these institutions and school districts.

"I'm particularly interested in the reading skills of our students," Williams said. "I believe there are opportunities for the libraries to help our school districts, help the schools maintain a level of education that is moving as fast as technology."

Speaking to the News-Leader on July 2, Williams said she was just kickstarting her campaign with the support of friends and family. She did not have visits to Springfield planned.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. She has more than five years of journalism experience covering everything from Ozarks history to Springfield’s LGBTQIA+ community. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: 3 Democrats running in Missouri Secretary of State primary election