KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District affirmed a lower court’s decision to keep state senate candidate J. Ranen Bechthold on the November ballot.
Bechthold’s opponent, Sen. Ryan Silvey, had challenged his eligibility for the ballot due to residency issues. Bechthold had been registered to vote in Jackson County, which is outside the 17th District.
But a lower court judge had ruled that Bechthold was still in active-duty military service and corrected an erroneous voter registration as soon as he new about it.
Silvey had pointed out that even though Bechthold claimed to live in the 17th district, he had paid his wife through campaign funds at an address in Jackson County.
Silvey said he accepted the decision and would be focusing on the November election.
