[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 27315]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               HONORING AN OUTSTANDING ELECTION OFFICIAL

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ROY BLUNT

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 15, 2000

  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, during the last five weeks much of our 
national attention in the wake of the Presidential Election has been 
focused on the technology we use to cast our votes. Pundits and 
politicians have discussed the strengths and weaknesses of paper 
ballots, voting machines, punch cards, and optically scanned ballots. 
It's easy in this debate to forget that the real work of elections is 
not done by technology, but by tens of thousands of local election 
judges and election officials.
  Today I pay tribute to one of those election officials with whom I 
have had the pleasure of working over the years. I worked with Rosemary 
Kochner when I was Chief Election Authority of Greene County, Missouri, 
and later as Secretary of State. I benefited from her advice and 
example of dedicated service. Rosemary retires next month after 30 
years of working for the St. Louis County Board of Election 
Commissioners. During that period, Rosemary has risen from being an 
Absentee Ballot Clerk to serving as the Republican Assistant Director 
of Elections in the largest election jurisdiction in the State of 
Missouri.
  Rosemary is one of a handful of election officials who are selflessly 
dedicated to doing all they can to ensure that every qualified voter 
has the opportunity to cast their ballot on election day and to do so 
in a way that it gets counted. It is her passion and her commitment to 
that ideal that makes her an inspiration to all around her.
  Those of us who know her will tell you that her real love has been 
working to see that the men and women of the Armed Forces who are 
registered to vote in St. Louis County are able to participate on 
Election Day regardless of where they are serving their country.
  But Rosemary has excelled in many areas. She is a recognized 
authority on Missouri Election Law. Rosemary served with distinction on 
the U.S. Bicentennial Commission. She is the recipient of the ``Federal 
Voting Assistance Award'' from the Department of Defense. I was pleased 
when as Secretary of State I was privileged to present her with the 
``Rosemary Plitt Award'' from the State of Missouri for outstanding 
service during the 1988 presidential election.
  I know my colleagues from Missouri join me in thanking Rosemary for 
her years of outstanding service to her community and that her seven 
daughters and thirteen grandchildren join all of us in wishing her the 
best as she begins her retirement. I am sure we haven't heard the last 
from her.

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