A grassroots conservative warrior is challenging Missouri’s election establishment in a battle that could spark a nationwide movement to eliminate voting machines and restore hand-counted paper ballots—but she faces an incumbent accused of cutting wires on election equipment and playing games on his phone during critical county meetings.
Story Highlights
- Jen Olson challenges incumbent Director of Elections Kurt Bahr in St. Charles County’s 2026 race, advocating complete elimination of voting machines
- Bahr admitted to cutting wires on voting equipment before a 2022 election, raising questions about election security protocols
- Olson’s five-year activism demanding transparency and audits positions her campaign as a potential model for conservative counties nationwide
- St. Charles County represents Missouri’s largest Republican stronghold, making this local race significant for statewide election reform efforts
Election Integrity Battle in Missouri’s Conservative Stronghold
Jen Olson is mounting a grassroots campaign to become Director of Elections in St. Charles County, Missouri’s largest Republican county, with a platform centered on eliminating voting machines in favor of hand-counted paper ballots. Her candidacy represents five years of activism since 2020, when she began attending county council meetings to demand audits and transparency in election processes. Olson’s campaign directly challenges incumbent Kurt Bahr, who has defended electronic tabulation systems despite growing conservative concerns about their reliability and transparency. The race carries implications beyond local politics, as election integrity advocates view St. Charles County as a potential testing ground for hand-counting reforms.
The Grassroot Warrior Fighting to Save Missouri’s Elections: Jen Olson’s Battle for St. Charles County https://t.co/TUgWxHyFVP
— The Gateway Pundit (@gatewaypundit) January 26, 2026
Wire-Cutting Scandal Raises Serious Questions
Kurt Bahr admitted to cutting wires on voting machines before a 2022 election, an incident that has become central to Olson’s campaign messaging. The wire-cutting involved breaking seals on election equipment, actions that critics have characterized as potentially criminal and certainly undermining public confidence in election security. Bahr’s handling of the incident, including his responses during county council meetings, has fueled accusations of unprofessionalism and deflection. Olson has branded her campaign with the slogan “Cut the machines, not the wires,” directly targeting this controversy. This incident exemplifies the concerns many conservatives harbor about election officials who resist transparency while maintaining control over unverifiable electronic systems.
Olson’s Track Record and Reform Vision
Before launching her election campaign, Olson established conservative credentials through successful activism on the Wentzville Board of Education, where she championed student privacy protections. Her approach to election reform focuses on precinct-level hand-counting conducted publicly, allowing citizens to observe and verify vote tallies directly. Olson argues that electronic tabulators contain unverifiable code and certifications that prevent true transparency, making hand-counting the only method that can restore public trust. Her campaign relies on grassroots fundraising through OlsonForThePeople.com, positioning her as an outsider challenging the establishment. If elected, Olson pledges to implement hand-counting procedures on Day One, potentially eliminating the county’s reliance on voting machine vendors entirely.
Stakes Extend Beyond Local Race
The outcome of this 2026 race carries weight far beyond St. Charles County’s borders. Conservative activists nationwide are watching whether a grassroots candidate can successfully challenge entrenched election officials and implement hand-counting systems in a major county. A victory for Olson could provide a blueprint for similar campaigns across Missouri and other conservative states, potentially pressuring voting machine vendors and clerk associations that currently defend electronic tabulation. The battle reflects broader conservative frustrations with election processes that feel opaque and controlled by bureaucrats resistant to accountability. For St. Charles County voters, the choice represents a fundamental question about whether elections should prioritize technological efficiency or transparent verifiability that ordinary citizens can witness and understand.
