MId-term election is Tuesday, Nov. 4

Thursday, October 30, 2014

As you head to the election polls next Tuesday, there are many amendments, state and federal races that can make or break the way things are now. Plus, the City of Portageville will be having a Special election asking the voters to pass a one half of one percent sales tax for the purpose of funding capital improvements. Said tax would terminate after 10 years.

Here is a look at what you will be voting on next Tuesday.

Statewide, three candidates will vie for State Auditor: Incumbent Republican, Tom Schweich; Libertarian challenger, Sean O'Toole; and Constitution Party candidate, Rodney Farthing.

In the U.S. Eighth Congressional District race, Republican incumbent Jason Smith faces Democratic challenger, Barbara Stocker; Libertarian challenger, Rick Vandeven; Constitution Party candidate, Doug Enyart; and Independent, Terry Hampton. Smith secured his seat in Washington in a special election held in June of last year, replacing long-time Congresswoman, Jo Ann Emerson, who vacated the position the previous January, to take a position with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Democrat Bill Burlison, a former Congressman, of Wardell, will face Republican Don Rone, of Portageville, for the District 149 State Representative seat, representing Mississippi, New Madrid and portions of Scott Counties. The seat is being vacated by Steve Hodges, of East Prairie, who can no longer run due to term limits.

Several countywide races are being run uncontested in November.

Josh Underwood - Associate Circuit Judge

Mark Baker - Presiding Commissioner

Clement Cravens -- County Clerk

Marsha Meatte Holiman -- Clerk of the Circuit Court

Kim St. Mary Hall -- Recorder of Deeds

Steve Riley - County Treasurer

Andrew C. Lawson -- Prosecuting Attorney

DeWayne Nowlin -- Collector of Revenue

The November ballot will also feature four proposed amendments to the Missouri Constitution. Amendment 2 asks, "Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended, so that it will be permissible to allow relevant evidence of prior criminal acts to be admissible in prosecutions for crimes of a sexual nature involving a victim under 18 years of age?"

Amendment 3, which has been vigorously contested by teacher and school groups, both locally and statewide, would eliminate teacher tenure and tie teacher evaluations to student performance on standardized tests. The measure's primary proponent, a Missouri anti-tenure group, Teach Great, dropped its campaign for the amendment last month. Because the proposal had already been certified to appear on the November ballot, amendment opponents have continued their informational campaign about the measure.

Amendment 6 proposes extending the statewide voting period for six business days prior to, and including, the Wednesday before election day, only if the state legislature and governor appropriate and disburse funds to pay for the increased voting costs, which are projected to be approximately $2 million in start-up money at the statewide level, and at least $100,000 in reimbursable costs at the local level.

Amendment 10 asks, "Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to require the governor to pay the public debt, to prohibit the governor from relying on revenue from legislation not yet passed when proposing a budget, and to provide a legislative check on the governor's decisions to restrict funding for education and other state services?" The proposal would allow legislators to override a governor's decision to freeze or slow spending on items in the state budget. It was referred to the ballot by Missouri's Republican-led legislature, which has grown increasingly frustrated with incumbent Democratic Governor, Jay Nixon, as he has used his constitutional powers to cut, freeze or delay spending since taking office in 2009. Amendment supporters have said Nixon has held the state budget hostage for political purposes, while opponents, including Nixon himself, view the proposal as a legislative attempt to grow government beyond its means and weaken the state's safeguards against overspending by the legislature.

The November ballot will also ask voters whether several judges, whose terms expire on Dec. 31, should be retained in office for new terms. They include Judges Laura Denvir Stith and Paul Campbell Wilson, of the Missouri Supreme Court, and Judges Mary W. Sheffield and Nancy Steffen Rahmeyer, of the Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District. Following an extensive evaluation process, the Missouri Judicial Performance Evaluation Committees recently recommended that all 50 of Missouri's non-partisan judges who are up for retention this year be retained. The seven committees were comprised of an equal number of lawyers and non-lawyers, appointed by The Missouri Bar's Board of Governors.

Nationally, the November mid-term elections are expected to be hotly contested, as Democrats try to retain control in the U.S. Senate, Republicans work to maintain their majority in the U.S. House, and both parties battle to gain an upper hand in the upcoming 2016 presidential election.

(Some of the information for this story available from the Daily Dunklin Democrat, Kennett. MO)

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