1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I am asking my representatives in the Missouri General Assembly to take every lawful action available to hold Secretary of State Denny Hoskins accountable, including removal from office if the legal standards for removal are met. This is not a partisan issue. It is a question of representative government and accountability to the people of Missouri. Public officials are entrusted with authority by their constituents. That authority does not belong to the officeholder personally. When the people exercise their constitutional rights through elections, petitions, referendums, and the courts, their representatives have a duty to respect those processes and the people they serve. Secretary Hoskins' actions during Missouri's redistricting dispute have demonstrated a troubling disregard for the expressed will and constitutional rights of Missouri voters. No elected official should be permitted to place personal, institutional, or political interests above their obligation to the people. That standard must apply equally to every public official. Any representative who deliberately disregards the lawful will of their constituents, obstructs their constitutional rights, or uses public authority to override the people they were elected to represent should face meaningful accountability, including removal when warranted by law. I ask you, as my representative, to defend the right of Missourians to govern themselves and to hold Secretary Hoskins accountable through every lawful mechanism available. The principle is simple: elected officials serve the people. The people do not serve elected officials. Our democratic freedoms depend upon maintaining that distinction.