Jay Ashcroft


John Robert "Jay" Ashcroft is an American attorney, engineer, and politician serving as the 40th Secretary of State of Missouri. As Secretary of State, Ashcroft has been a major proponent of pushing for stricter voter ID laws.

Early life

Ashcroft is the son of politician John Ashcroft.
Ashcroft attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy, but did not graduate. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Missouri University of Science and Technology. He then worked as an engineer. Ashcroft attended law school, earning his Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University.

Political career

Ashcroft ran for the Missouri Senate in 2014, losing to Jill Schupp. He ran for Missouri Secretary of State in the 2016 elections. He defeated State Senator Will Kraus in the Republican Party primary election, and former KMOV anchor Robin Smith in the general election.

Voter ID laws

Ashcroft is a staunch supporter of stricter voter ID laws. Ashcroft's claims about voter fraud, as well as the need for photo ID laws to combat voter fraud, were a central aspect of his 2016 campaign for the office of Missouri Secretary of State. He has asserted that voter fraud is common enough to have "changed elections." There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Missouri. The type of voter fraud that would be addressed through Ashcroft's preferred legislation, which critics say suppresses turnout, is extremely rare. In defending a push for stricter photo-ID laws, Ashcroft cited one instance where a couple illegally voted, but omitted that the photo-ID laws that Ashcroft was advocating for would not have prevented the couple from voting. According to the Kansas City Star, "there has never been a reported case of voter impersonation fraud in Missouri." In June 2018, Ashcroft said that voter fraud was "an exponentially greater threat than hacking."
On July 3, 2017, Ashcroft said that he would comply with the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity's request for Missourians voting data. At the time, Missouri became one of only three states to comply with the commission. He said he would give out voters’ names, addresses, birthdates, where they voted and when.

Investigation of Josh Hawley

In December 2018, Ashcroft, who as Secretary of State does not have the power to issue subpoenas, asked Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway, who can issue subpoenas, to cooperate in an investigation of Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley for using public resources in the 2018 United States Senate election in Missouri. This investigation has since ended.

Ballot initiatives

Ashcroft has backed a number of Republican proposals to reduce the number of Missouri ballot initiative petitions and make it harder for ballot initiatives to win approval in elections.

Electoral History

State Senate

Secretary of State