JEFFERSON CITY – Those who want Clay County audit information must wait.

The audit is in “coma status,” meaning results will not be shared until after the Nov. 3 general elections. 

Results would be held even if outgoing Commissioners Gene Owen and Luann Ridgeway were not fighting in court to keep some information secret from the State Auditor’s Office.

Missouri Auditor Nicole Galloway is standing by a nearly 40-year-old policy on not issuing audits 30 days prior to Election Day. The intention is to avoid influencing election results and to reinforce the auditor’s role as the state’s independent fiscal watchdog.

The audit moratorium dates back to at least State Auditor Margaret Kelly, a Republican who served from 1984 to 1999.