Missouri’s former election integrity director filed a whistleblower lawsuit Monday against Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, claiming he was dismissed after warning that employees were considering submitting a fabricated complaint in a legal proceeding involving the state’s voter registration database.
The lawsuit, filed by Republican Nicholas La Strada, also alleges that Hoskins’ office improperly instructed local election officials to alter the outcome of a city council contest and spent state money on a politically motivated mailing.
“Hoskins will not be able to comment on pending litigation involving a personnel matter,” spokesperson Anne Marie Moy said.
Hoskins is already facing scrutiny over his handling of Missouri’s congressional redistricting dispute. Last Thursday, the state Supreme Court found him temporarily in contempt for violating its order barring steps to use new U.S. House districts backed by President Donald Trump in the November election. The following day, several voters who signed a referendum petition that would put the new congressional map before voters statewide in November sued Hoskins, seeking class-action status and monetary damages.
Although separate from the redistricting case, the latest lawsuit raises questions about Hoskins’ oversight of the November election.
“How can you trust a secretary of state’s office when they fired the man who was telling them what they cannot do,” said Erin N. Vernon, an Independence attorney and the lawsuit’s lead lawyer.
La Strada spent 14 years as Pettis County clerk, overseeing local elections, before Hoskins hired him as the state’s election integrity director in January 2025. According to the lawsuit, La Strada lost his administrative access to Missouri’s voter registration system after only several months in the position. The suit says that occurred after he questioned whether the office had improperly used funds to mail information opposing a St. Louis County ballot measure.
The lawsuit also accuses Hoskins’ office of improperly intervening in an April municipal election. After officials certified the results of a closely contested Marshall City Council race in central Missouri, Hoskins’ office received a complaint about the counting of write-in votes, conducted its own recount and directed city officials to revise the results. The suit maintains that only a judge had the authority to order such a change.
“If you’ve done it once, what’s to stop them from doing it on bigger elections in November and coming right in and changing it to who they want, their preferred candidate,” Vernon said.
La Strada further alleges that, in April, he witnessed several Hoskins staff members discuss using a “burner phone” and an internet protocol address scrambler to submit a fake whistleblower complaint during a federal administrative proceeding involving the state’s voter registration database. The lawsuit says La Strada voiced his concerns to Hoskins twice, after which his Capitol security badge was deactivated before a hearing in the matter. He was fired effective May 1.
The position of state election integrity director remains vacant, Moy said.
