Ashcroft Secures 25,000 Face Masks for Election

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has secured 25,000 face masks to be delivered to local election authorities for the November 3 General Election. In a joint release, Ashcroft announced that Patriot Medical Devices, located in Cape Girardeau, is supplying the 3-ply, disposable face masks, manufactured in Missouri with American-made materials.

Voting in person will be safe in November - Jay Ashcroft

“Voting in person will be safe in November,” Ashcroft said. “Using creativity and the buying power of state government, my office is continuing to deliver on our promise to provide protective equipment for polling places in November. Missouri has already held three elections during the COVID-19 pandemic, and our local election authorities know what works to keep polling places safe.”

“We are proud to provide our masks to our home state and to be a part of ensuring safe elections here in Missouri,” said Tyler Needham, Patriot’s president.

In May, Ashcroft’s office distributed $4.5 million in federal CARES funding and a required state match to local election authorities to prepare for the 2020 elections. Later that month, Ashcroft personally visited each one of Missouri’s 116 election jurisdictions, delivering 17,000 face masks, 17,000 face shields, 40,000 yellow floor distancing strips, 16,000 posters encouraging physical distancing and 500 gallons of hand sanitizer.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story