Nick La Strada, former director of election integrity in Missouri, sued Secretary of State Denny Hoskins after being fired allegedly because he had "too much integrity." La Strada claims that he was dismissed following his complaints about improper use of public funds and attempts to alter certified election results. The lawsuit, filed on Monday in Cole County, also details an alleged attempt by senior staff to fabricate whistleblower evidence against La Strada using deceptive technology.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Nick La Strada, Missouri's former director of election integrity appointed by Secretary of State Denny Hoskins in January 2025, has filed a lawsuit against Hoskins. La Strada alleges he was wrongfully terminated because he had "too much integrity" and insisted on reporting illegal conduct. The suit claims that La Strada lost access to essential tools needed for his job after raising concerns about the improper use of public funds for political mail and attempted changes to certified election results by Hoskins. Filed in Cole County, the lawsuit asserts that La Strada was fired because he did not "look the other way" while Hoskins allegedly violated laws.
Written for “Election Integrity Lawsuit” on 2026-09-14,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but all 2 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 9341: attributed speech only · logged 2026-09-14
Missouri’s former director of election integrity filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, alleging he was fired for having “too much integrity” after raising concerns about Hoskins’s conduct.
asserted
he → file → conduct
Nick La Strada has served as the Show-Me State’s election integrity director for 15 months before he alleges he was fired after being slowly stripped of access to the tools needed to perform his job.
asserted
he → serve → job
La Strada, a Republican, was appointed by Hoskins in January 2025 and was praised for his “compliance with the law.”
asserted
Strada → appoint → law
“Unfortunately, Secretary of State Denny Hoskins wanted a lapdog instead who would look the other way while Defendants engaged in conduct that violated the law,” the court filing said, adding that La Strada was wrongfully terminated “because he had too much integrity and insisted on reporting illegal conduct.”
asserted
he → want → conduct
According to the lawsuit filed in Cole County, La Strada was first stripped of access to the state’s voter registration system after he reported “improper use of public funds for political mail.”
uncertain
he → accord → mail
In another instance, Hoskins allegedly attempted to change a certified election result, to which La Strada intervened.
uncertain
Strada → attempt → which
La Strada also claims that senior staff in Hoskins’s office attempted a “fabricated whistleblower submission” using an “IP scrambler” and burner phone to submit false evidence in a federal Help America Vote Act lawsuit.
uncertain
staff → claim → lawsuit
The lawsuit, Kramer v. Hoskins, began after Constance Kramer, a private citizen, filed a complaint alleging the state failed to properly maintain its voter database in compliance with HAVA.
asserted
state → begin → HAVA
A federal judge later ruled in favor of Kramer, granting a preliminary injunction and ordering Hoskins to hold a hearing on Kramer’s complaint.
asserted
judge → rule → complaint
La Strada claims in the filing on Monday that he was ordered to appear as a witness in the Kramer lawsuit, but alleges senior staff deactivated his access card in order to prevent his testimony.
uncertain
staff → claim → testimony
La Strada ultimately gained access to the building and testified, but was fired four days later.
asserted
Strada → gain → building
“In Missouri, no one is above the law – not even the Secretary of State,” counsel for La Strada, Erin Vernon, said.
asserted
counsel → say → Strada
“A unanimous Missouri Supreme Court told the Secretary of State and his office that last week.
asserted
Court → tell → State
We’re here to ask a Cole County jury to say the same thing, and to hold the Secretary and his office accountable.”
asserted
Secretary → ’re → thing
Vernon is referring to a recent decision from the state’s highest court that found Hoskins in contempt last week for telling officials to use a new congressional map for the November election.
asserted
that → refer → election
Hoskins had claimed he “purged” himself of the contempt by backpedaling the decision later in the day.
asserted
he → claim → day
The contempt finding stems from a weeklong legal battle over whether a map drawn by the state legislature in 2022 or a map drawn in 2025 will be used for the midterm elections, even though the 2025 map was used for the August primaries.
asserted
map → stem → primaries
The 2022 map, used for the 2022 and 2024 elections, has produced a 6-2 Republican-Democratic split for Missouri’s congressional delegation, while the map passed by state lawmakers in 2025 would likely shift the delegation to a 7-1 Republican-Democratic split.
asserted
map → use → split
Hoskins’s office declined to comment pending litigation.
asserted
office → decline → litigation
