The Thursday P-D has done an investigative report which shows that, for the last year, Connie Johnson’s been living outside her House district and outside SD 5, where she’s running against Hubbard and Wright-Jones in the primary.

If someone files a formal complaint, the Missouri Constitution would require that the Secretary of State not certify her for the ballot. But the Constitution also leaves some leeway, considering that Johnson says she’s been living at the new address to care for her mother, who has lupus. Therefore, the move isn’t permanent.

Still, the law does provide some flexibility when it comes to residency requirements. State courts have held that a person’s residence means their “true, fixed and permanent home,” one they can leave temporarily – for college, for instance – if they have the intention of returning.

But the home and utilities outside her district are in her name. On the other hand, so’s the home inside her district.

It’s a complicated situation, but it’s going to be a problem for her.

Photo courtesy of the Post-Dispatch