Kander outlined how HB 2109, sponsored by fellow Secretary of State candidate Rep. Shane Schoeller, would disenfranchise voters stationed overseas or across the United States.“Every eligible voter deserves the opportunity to participate in our Democracy, but none more so than those that fight to protect it,” Kander said. “Unfortunately, at a time when we should be making it easier for our men and women in the military to vote, Speaker Pro Tem Schoeller is pushing a bill that would make it next to impossible.”According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 270,000 Missourians mailed in absentee ballots in 2008, including 11,000 military personnel.

Kander called on other Secretary of State candidates to drop their support for this legislation, which disenfranchises the men and women who fight to protect our democracy.

“The men and women of our nation’s military are the guardians of our democracy and they give up so much to serve,” Kander said. “But they should never give up the ability to cast a ballot.”

Jason Kander is a State Representative from Kansas City and previously served in the Army National Guard. As a military intelligence officer in the Army Reserve, Kander volunteered in 2006 for deployment and served in Afghanistan. In 2010, he was one of ten soldiers selected as national finalists for Army Reserve Outstanding Junior Officer of the Year. Rep. Kander currently serves on the Missouri Veterans Commission. Kander is a lawyer and lives with his wife Diana in Kansas City.