via USPS Certified Mail, Return Receipt and Email
Brooke Dudenhoeffer
Osage County Clerk
205 E. Main ST
PO Box 826
Linn, MO 65051
Dear Clerk Dudenhoeffer,
We have had an opportunity to review the contents of the envelope received from you today via certified mail. The envelope contained six filing fee checks but no cover letter or any other correspondence from your office.
For the record: our signature on the certified mail receipt was solely to accept delivery of the envelope from the United States Postal Service. This signature does not constitute acceptance of any filing fee, acknowledgment of payment, or validation of any candidacy.
The postal worker informed us that postage for this certified letter was paid at 3:45 p.m. on March 2, 2026 — 36 minutes after I emailed you a copy of the election complaint filed that morning with the Missouri Secretary of State Elections Division regarding your failure to forward filing fees.
Filing Fee Process Per RsMO 115.357, candidates shall pay the required sum to the treasurer of the county committee of the political party whose nomination they seek. While the statute allows the fee to be submitted to the clerk, the clerk’s duty is to promptly forward it to the committee treasurer. The clerk’s interaction in receiving and forwarding the filing fee does not constitute acceptance of the filing fee by the committee. Payment is considered accepted only when funds are deposited in the committee’s bank account.
Zero Receipt for Committee Positions Candidates for Committeeman or Committeewoman do not pay a filing fee (per RsMO 115.611) but must complete vetting per OCRC bylaws. If approved, they receive a zero-dollar receipt to present to the clerk as evidence of eligibility to appear on the ballot as a Republican. Without a zero receipt, they either did not complete vetting, or their candidacy was rejected by the committee.
Status of Checks Received We are holding the six checks for 7 calendar days (until March 10, 2026) to allow candidates to complete the required vetting process. If vetting is not successfully completed by March 9, checks will be returned by certified mail. This includes the check submitted in your name as a candidate for County Clerk.
We provided instruction sheets for candidate packets in January 2026, and we are happy to supply additional copies if needed.
Expectations We expect full compliance with your statutory duty under RsMO 115.357 to promptly forward fees and to not place any candidate on the ballot as a Republican without a committee-issued receipt (standard or zero-dollar). The committee’s authority to enforce this requirement is protected by the First Amendment and Missouri law.
Please confirm receipt of this letter and the enclosed copies of the checks.
Sincerely,
/s/ Linda Rantz
Linda Rantz
Chairwoman
Osage County Republican Central Committee
Enclosures via email:
- Copy of January 14, 2026 letter to clerk
- Copy of filing fee check for Brooke Dudenhoeffer
- Copies of letters with filing fee checks received from 5 candidates who have not completed vetting
Enclosures via US Mail:
- Copy of January 14, 2026 letter to clerk
- Copy of filing fee check for Brooke Dudenhoeffer
CC (via email without attachments 2 and 3):
Craig Rantz, OCRC Treasurer
Missouri Secretary of State Elections Division (elections@sos.mo.gov)
