Depending on how a court case shakes out, anyone hoping to run as a Republican in one Missouri county may first need to submit to vetting by members of a far-right church known for its ties to the white identity movement and domestic terrorism. Vernon County, in the southeastern part of the state bordering Kansas, is one of a handful of Missouri counties whose Republican party has instituted the process of candidate vetting, wherein individuals who want to appear on the ballot as Republicans need to first complete a morals survey and have their criminal and financial records scrutinized by county committees. In Vernon County, that potentially means some pretty unsavory characters doing the scrutinizing.