Letter from Mayor Krewson relative to the May 19 Special Election

A letter from Mayor Krewson to the City of St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners relative to the May 19 2020 special election and COVID-19

April 13, 2020 | 2 min reading time

This article is 4 years old. It was published on April 13, 2020.

April 13, 2020

Board of Election Commissioners
Chairman Jerry Hunter
Secretary Joseph Barbaglia
Commissioner Gene Todd
Commissioner Geraldine Kraemer
300 N Tucker
St Louis Mo 63101

Dear Chairmen and Commissioners

As you know there are special elections now scheduled for May 19, 2020 to fill the vacancies in the offices of aldermen for the 4th and 12th wards in the City of St. Louis. I ask you to exercise your authority under section 115.024 RSMo to request that an election panel of the Missouri Court of Appeals reschedule those elections to a later date.

Section 115.024 RSMo authorizes you to ask an election panel to reschedule an election when a disaster prohibits an election from occurring. I don't think that anyone would deny that the pandemic that our city, indeed the entire globe, is now suffering is a disaster. As a consequence there are Health Department Orders in place that now require residents to 'stay at home', except under limited circumstances and that require them to engage in social distancing when they do.

At this time it is uncertain when these prohibitions will be lifted, it is likely that it may not be before May 19.

As a consequence people may be unable to vote in person without violating the health commissioner's orders and, more importantly, risking their lives and the lives of others. It may be impossible for you to furnish the polling places with the requisite election judges to conduct the elections, and certainly without a risk to the lives of those who work as judges. I believe that it will be impossible for you to conduct an election on that day that would be worthy of our City, and that could be fairly described as a democratic election.

Please consider rescheduling the election so that the people of these two wards can be represented by persons elected at a fair and lawful election.

Sincerely,

Lyda Krewson
Mayor

Cc: Gary Stoff -- Republican Director of Elections

Documents

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