SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller announced his run for Secretary of State in 2024 on Friday.

Schoeller ran for the seat in 2012, but lost to Democrat Jason Kander. Schoeller ended up running for Greene County Clerk, and won the election in 2014.

“I’ve had a passion for election for a number of years,” Schoeller said. “I had worked in the secretary of state’s office back in the early 2000s. Just the opportunity to work here in Greene County and server the voters I served in Jefferson City. That was the reason I went and ran for this office and just was glad that that opportunity opened up when it did.”

Schoeller also served three terms in the Missouri House of Representatives. He was a part of several committees including Taxation & Revenue, Utilities, and Budget Appropriations. He also served as the chair of the Disaster Recovery Committee after the 2011 Joplin Tornado.

“I think it was very helpful to be in the state capital for three terms,” Schoeller said. “I enjoyed the time I was there. You get to understand how laws are passed, but I’ve really enjoyed my time as county clerk because you get to see the other side of it in terms of the laws passed, how they’re administered. I think that’s a powerful combination to be able to be a secretary of state and be able to understand what we need to do to get good laws passed.”

Schoeller said ensuring the security of elections is an important part of his campaign.

“We want to make sure that when voters come to vote, that there’s enough election judges to be able to meet the voter, that they’re bipartisan nature,” Schoeller said. “We also want to work to make sure that we put into law signature verification. Right now, when ballots are returned by mail, you don’t have to check that signature.”

Current Secretary Jay Ashcroft announced he will not be running for another term as Secretary of State.

“We certainly would not have challenged Secretary Ashcroft,” Schoeller said. “He’s done a tremendous job in his role as secretary of state. But we want to continue to do the work that he’s done and continue to make sure the voters understand that every time they cast a ballot here in the state of Missouri, it’s going to be counted, it’s going to be counted correctly.”