Tomorrow is the first Tuesday in November, and an opportunity to exercise one of the most precious rights we have; the right to have a direct say in how our government is run. Historically speaking, this is a rare thing. Most of history is a story of kings and warlords and force, rather than democracy. Even today there are people fighting desperately for a chance to have a say in the way their society is governed.
But tomorrow Americans will by-and-large, take this precious right for granted and stay home. It is an “off year” and the electorate is said to be pretty apathetic. We are frustrated by what we see happening in our government, from the national level to our city councils and school boards. People are ignorant of the candidates and issues, and will leave these important decisions to someone else.
Since you are reading these words, you are “someone else”. Congratulations, and thank you for taking the time to get better informed and (hopefully) make your way to a polling place tomorrow to have a say in how our society operates. Thank you in advance for caring enough to try and make a difference.
Every single member of the US House of Representatives will be on the ballot tomorrow, along with one third of the US Senators. As you are no doubt aware, the vote tomorrow will determine which party controls the US Senate, and although the polling favors the Republicans gaining control, it is still too close to call. This is an important election for our country, and turnout will be the key to victory for both parties.
I live in Missouri, and neither of our US Senators is up for re-election. Nevertheless there are still important races and issues to be decided in our state. Every member of the Missouri House of Representatives is on the ballot. There are also important amendments to the Missouri Constitution that will be decided tomorrow.
Each county will also have important propositions and candidates on the ballot for the voters to decide. I live in St. Charles County where we will be considering a ban on red light cameras. And our local school district, which is the fastest growing district in the state, has an important bond issue on the ballot to fund expansion to accommodate extra students.
I will provide recommendations below for the races on my ballot in Missouri and St. Charles County. You can also obtain ballot information from the Missouri Secretary of State and each county has an election authority with a website to help you with what will be on your ballot.
First, let’s look at the four proposed Missouri constitutional amendments. The language on the ballot will not include everything in the actual legislation, and I will only provide a brief description here. To fully understand each you will need to research the actual ballot language. Here is a link to the Secretary of State’s website. November ballot initiatives are on the bottom of this page.
http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/2014ballot/
· Amendment 2 would allow evidence of prior criminal acts to be used as evidence in the prosecution of sex crimes against children.
I do not think the legislature should have put this on the ballot for people like me to decide. There are lots of potential unintended consequences that come up when people start debating this issue, and it seems that judges already have latitude to decide what evidence is admissible from prior criminal acts. I understand the reasoning behind it, but I will reluctantly be voting NO.
· Amendment 3 would eliminate tenure for teachers and change the standards and evaluation system. It would also require DESE approval of the system for each local school district.
This amendment was not proposed by the legislature but by an initiative drive by a group that no longer supports it. Transferring control of education from local school boards to the state DESE is a terrible idea and this would be a terrible amendment. I am a very strong NO on this one.
· Amendment 6 would provide six business days of in-person or by mail early voting before elections.
There are really two distinct concerns here. One is early voting, and the other is fraud. I favor early voting. I want to expand the number of people who vote and I think making it easier to cast a vote is a good thing. If this bill allowed people to vote in person the same way they would on Election Day, I would be a huge supporter of this amendment. But casting votes by mail is an invitation for fraud. I will not debate Voter ID here; but all I ask is that only eligible voters vote, and only once. I will once again reluctantly be voting NO.
· Amendment 10 would restrict the ability of the Governor to withhold certain budgeted funds, and prohibit including revenues from proposed legislation in budget projections.
This amendment is a response to certain “game playing” which has been going on between the Governor and legislature in the past couple years. Missouri has a balanced budget requirement, so it is not about overspending. It is about what the money is to be spent on. In this last session the Governor had a record number of vetoes overturned.
This bill may come back and bite Republicans once the political tables turn and we someday have a Republican Governor. Nevertheless I think I like the restrictions on spending and the idea that revenues will not be counted until they are actually voted on and passed. I will be voting YES.
St. Charles County voters can get more information by visiting the county election authority website here.
http://www.sccmo.org/DocumentCenter/View/2359
St. Charles County voters will decide whether to amend the county charter to ban red light cameras. These cameras are responsible for an increase in accidents (rear-end collisions). More importantly, they are, IMHO, unconstitutional as we have a right to confront our accuser in court and cameras cannot be cross-examined. Mainly, this is a huge revenue source for the city of St. Peters, which saw its revenue from red light fines increase more than tenfold, mostly from drivers turning right on red. The red light camera companies face multiple lawsuits around the country and their executives have been convicted of corruption from unethical collusion with city officials.
The Red Light Camera proposal was poorly worded and so I will be voting YESto ban red light cameras in St. Charles County. This is a no-brainer.
I live in the Wentzville School District and as I mentioned before there is a Proposition E on my ballot to allow the district to borrow funds for expansion and upgrades. I normally vote against increased spending and taxes but I do see a need with a large influx of students and education is a top priority for me. Although there may be some issues about the specifics there is a legitimate need and I will be voting YES.
And now we move to the candidates. I am going to narrow the list by ignoring candidates who are unopposed or who face no serious challenger. My State Rep and State Senator, Ron Hicks and Bob Onder, fall into this category. I will also not include people if I have never shaken their hand or looked them in the eye. Finally, I should note that most of these folks are not going to be on my ballot, but I recommend you vote for them.
District 63 – Bryan Spencer
District 64 – Robert Cornejo
District 70 – Joe Corica
District 102 – Kurt Bahr
District 103 – John Wiemann
District 104 – Kathie Conway
District 105 – Mark Parkinson
District 106 – Chrissy Sommer
District 108 – Justin Hill
District 109 – Paul Curtman
State Auditor – Tom Schweich
St. Charles County Executive – Steve Ehlman
St. Louis County Executive – Rick Stream
State Senate – Jay Ashcroft
State Senate – Jeanne Riddle
None of the people above are perfect and I know I disagree with them on various issues. No candidate will ever represent my views perfectly but these are good people and they will do a good job.
Please take the time if you have not already and research these issues and candidates and make up your own mind. If you are unsure of an issue or candidate then leave it blank and vote on those things you are sure about, but please make it to the polls and vote.
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