May 10, 2018 Honorable Randy Holman Jefferson County Clerk 729 Maple St. Hillsboro, MO 63050 Dear Mr. Holman, ‘The Jefferson County Republican Central Committee (JCRCC) has voted to return the filing fee and request the Jefferson County Clerk to remove from the August 7, 2018 balllot the name of Democrat Gary L. Stout Iil who has filed on the Republican ticket for County Executive. Democrat Stout has never demonstrated any interest in the Republican party, never run for elected office as a Republican, never acknowledged support for the Republican party and never worked with any Republican candidates in their effort to be elected, The JCRCC does not want to be associated with Democrat Stout. The JCRCC’s right to not be associated with Stout is protected by the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court has declared that such a right of non-association is protected by the U.S. Constitution: Freedom of association would prove an empty guarantee if associations could not limit control over their decisions to those who share the interests and persuasions that underlie the association's being. In no area is the political association’s right to exclude more important than in the process of selecting its nominee. That process often determines the party's positions on the most significant public policy issues of the day, and ... it is the nominee who. becomes the party's ambassador to the general electorate. California Democratic Party v. Jones , 630 U.S. 567, 574 (2000) (internal quotation, marks omitted, emphasis added). Missouri's election laws do not provide an effective mechanism for political parties to vet Potential candidates for party affiliation. Stout never filed a Statement of Committee Organization with the Missouri Ethics Commission identifying himself as a Republican candidate for County Executive. Stout has never given the JCRCC any indication of his intent to file as a Republican. Based on the ease with which individuals can deciare their candidacy, a political Party has virtually no ability to screen potential candidates to determine the extent to which the Party wants to be associated with a potential candidate. This difficulty is compounded by the short time window within which candidates must file and the large number of candidates who file in any given year Itis the intention of the JCRCC to associate with those individuals who properly represent the principals and values set forth in the Republican Party Platform. Since we have a candidate for this office who has a proven record of being a true and faithful Republican, we request that Democrat Gary L. Stout Ill be removed from the ballot as a Republican candidate Sincerely, Angela Alter-Wren, Chair Jefferson County Republican Central CommitteeWe, the members of the Jefferson County Republican Central Committee, in the interest of preserving the integrity of its members, the Missouri Republican Party and the party Platform, state the following We strongly urge the Missouri Republican State Committee to do all in its power, through legislation, litigation and/or adopting bylaws, to thwart those who would file for an elected position under the banner of the Republican Party when they do not have a clear and documented history of supporting our party. We also strongly urge the Missouri legislature to adopt election laws that prevent the "cross-over" strategy frequently employed in primaries to elect those considered the weakest candidates from the opposite party. Other states employ the practice of "closed primaries" and further forbid the loser in a primary from filing as an independent or as a candidate in another party. We urge the Missouri legislature to do the same.