Complaint alleges Stoddard County Clerk illegally certified election

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — A former deputy clerk has accused Stoddard County Clerk Cecil Weeks of illegally certifying the April 2 municipal election after she told him two unregistered voters cast ballots in Dexter, Missouri’s Ward 2.

Ginger McCoy, who recently was fired from the clerk’s office where she had worked for 13 years, filed a complaint April 8 with the Stoddard County Sheriff’s Department.

The filing of McCoy’s complaint is referenced in a motion filed by Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russ Oliver seeking the appointment of a special prosecutor to look into the allegation.

Oliver filed the motion after learning of the complaint, and cited a “conflict of interest” as his reason for making the request.

McCoy’s husband, Tim, works as the investigator for the prosecuting attorney’s office.

In his motion, Oliver wrote the allegations are “of such a nature, if true, would constitute a felony offense” regarding the “conduct of the April 2, 2019, Stoddard County municipal election, and the subsequent certification of said election on April 5, 2019.”

Earlier, Weeks told the Daily American Republic, “as far as we know, the election went off like it was supposed to; it was a good election,” his first since taking office Jan. 1.

Presiding Circuit Judge Robert Mayer granted Oliver’s request and signed an order April 8 appointing Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Kacey Proctor as special prosecutor.

In his motion, Oliver also wrote he was told it was the sheriff’s department’s intention to send the complaint to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control for investigation.

In her complaint, McCoy said, part of her duties at the clerk’s office was to work as “the election authority for Stoddard County. On April 2, 2019, the Dexter School Board race was a close one.”

Ronald Glaus lost by three votes. April 3, Glaus contacted Weeks to ask about a recount and how accurate the tabulator is, according to McCoy, and Weeks told him the tabulator is “very accurate.”

On April 3, McCoy said, she was working in the Missouri Centralized Voter Registration to compare signatures to ballot counts, and noticed there were two more ballots cast than signatures of registered voters in Ward 2.

Upon further investigation, McCoy said she found that one is registered in Butler County and one in New Madrid County.

On April 3, McCoy said, she told Weeks it would be a felony to certify the election knowing there was an issue.

She said she also contacted the election judges to ask about the signatures. McCoy said neither judge could remember whether the voters had voted, and one wanted to speak with Weeks.

“Cecil left her on speaker phone for us to hear,” McCoy said. “He said, ‘So, you don’t think these voters voted,’ as he was putting words into her mouth,” McCoy said. “The county clerk’s office staff then let Mr. Weeks know that he needed to seek legal advice.”

McCoy said April 4 she told Weeks she found a statute stating it would be a felony for the office to certify the election since they knew there was an issue, and if Glaus wanted a recount, he would find two people signed the precinct roster who aren’t registered voters in Stoddard County.

On April 5, McCoy said, Weeks certified the Dexter School bond and board members.

McCoy also cited an issue with absentee ballots in her complaint.

On April 3, she said, Stoddard County Assessor Dan Creg brought three ballots from the county’s drop box. Weeks had the clerks stamp them April 3 and didn’t look into when the ballots were dropped off.

On April 4, Weeks was contacted by Glaus after someone told him to “check into the election.”

Weeks then spoke to each clerk, and McCoy said Weeks asked her what her “goal” was.

“I said to keep our office legal,” McCoy said. “He said, ‘We are legal.’ I stated there is an issue with the two ballots.”

McCoy further said when she walked into the clerk’s office April 8 and was about to unlock her office door, Weeks and Presiding County Commissioner Danny Talkington came out of Weeks’ office.

McCoy said she was told to hand over her keys and name badge and was not allowed to get her things from her office.