The Missouri 2018 ballot is a monster. So much to vote on, so little time: Candidates, the dreaded judges\u2019 retentions, plus amendments to the Missouri constitution, a slew of ballot initiatives, and\u2014in St. Louis County\u2014several obscure amendments to the charter. We could all use some guidance, and maybe a little coaching, too. Here are links to some articles from Occasional Planet, addressing frequently asked questions about the Missouri 2018 ballot. Not comprehensive, but, we hope, useful.<\/p>\n

THE PROPOSITIONS<\/p>\n

Missouri Amendment 1: Cleaning up Missouri politics<\/strong>
\nOctober 31, 2018. By Gloria Shur Bilchik<\/em>
\nSponsors of Missouri Amendment 1\u2014aptly nicknamed Clean Missouri\u2014aims to increase fairness, integrity and transparency in Missouri politics. With the length and complexity of the 2018 midterm ballot, it\u2019s fortunate that this good-government proposal is first on the ballot, because many voters may fall victim to ballot fatigue long before they get to some of the other issues. Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gas tax [Proposition D] on MO ballot: I voted yes before I knew what I was doing<\/strong>
\nOctober 30, 2018. By Gloria Shur Bilchik<\/em>
\nProposition D on Missouri\u2019s 2018 midterm ballot asks voters whether to increase the tax on a gallon of gas. Should you vote for it? Good question. If passed, Proposition D would raise the gas tax by a total of 10 cents, over four years. I generally support tax increases, because it\u2019s clear from the necessity of continuous cutbacks in services, Missouri government is not adequately funded. And then I read an op-ed by former Missouri legislator Joan Bray. Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What are these St. Louis County charter amendments about, anyway?<\/strong>
\nOctober 24, 2018.\u00a0<\/em>By Gloria Shur Bilchik<\/em>
\nOn their 2018 ballots, many voters in St. Louis County may be surprised to encounter a quartet of proposed County charter amendments. Reading them over for the first time, they can seem obscure, and, as a result, voters may opt to skip over them. But don\u2019t. While they may seem obtuse and \u201cinside baseball,\u201d the four proposals are actually worth consideration. And, incredibly, they are bi-partisan, supported by Republican and Democratic council members.
\nRead more<\/a><\/p>\n

Bingo amendment on the Missouri midterm ballot<\/strong>
\nOctober 22, 2018. <\/em>By Gloria Shur Bilchik<\/em>
\nOn November 6, 2018, nestled on the ballot between three other amendments to the Missouri Constitution, four statewide propositions and a bunch of local ballot issues, Missouri voters will find a constitutional amendment proposal about Bingo. It\u2019s not a huge issue\u2013a lot of us thought Bingo was settled in the 1980s\u2013but there it is, and rather than be surprised in the polling place, you might as well know about it.
\nRead more<\/a><\/p>\n

3 medical marijuana proposals on MO ballot: Compare and contrast<\/strong>
\nOctober 14, 2018. <\/em>By Gloria Shur Bilchik<\/em>
\nIf you\u2019re voting in Missouri on Nov. 6, 2018\u2014and you are, aren\u2019t you?\u2014you\u2019re going to find: not one, not two, but three proposals pertaining to legalizing medical marijuana. If you haven\u2019t thought about them before you get to your polling place, you\u2019re probably going to find them confusing. Each one has a different focus and a different tax rate attached. And you\u2019ll have the opportunity to vote on all three of them.
\nRead more<\/a><\/p>\n

THE VOTING PROCESS
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Back-stage tour of election headquarters: numbers tell the story<\/strong>
\nOctober 28, 2018. By Gloria Shur Bilchik<\/em>
\nA tour of St. Louis County\u2019s election headquarters reveals lots of interesting facts. Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

MO voter ID update: No need for affidavits<\/strong>
\nOctober 22, 2018. <\/em>By Gloria Shur Bilchik<\/em>
\nThe continuing, confusing saga of voter ID requirements in Missouri continues. On Friday, October 19, at 5 pm, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that voters who do not show a photo ID\u2013but who do show a \u201csecondary\u201d form of non-photo ID, should be allowed to vote a regular ballot, without having to sign an affidavit. Bottom line: You can vote without photo ID in Missouri\u2019s November 6 midterm election. Unfortunately, this news comes too late for hundreds of people who have already been trained by county election boards to be pollworkers.
\nRead more<\/a><\/p>\n

How do I get a sample ballot in Missouri?<\/strong>
\nOctober 21, 2018. <\/em>By Gloria Shur Bilchik<\/em>
\nNeed a sample ballot? Many Missouri voters are worrying about the 2018 midterm ballot. We\u2019ve been warned: It\u2019s unusually long. It includes a slew of Constitutional amendments, propositions, County charter amendments, retention questions for state judges most of us have never heard of, and, of course, candidates for offices ranging from US Senator to local tax assessor.
\nRead more<\/a><\/p>\n

Confuse the Vote: Missouri\u2019s cockamamie Voter ID Mess<\/strong>
\nOctober 17, 2018. <\/em>By Gloria Shur Bilchik<\/em>
\nRock the Vote? Dance the Vote? How about Confuse the Vote? That\u2019s the situation surrounding Voter ID in Missouri just three weeks before the November 2018 midterm election.
\nRead more<\/a><\/p>\n

Confusing the vote: 2018 midterms edition<\/strong>
\nSeptember 4, 2018. <\/em>By Gloria Shur Bilchik<\/em>
\nWith a few heartening exceptions, the trend in voting rights in America is toward suppression and trickery\u2014with just weeks to go before the crucial 2018 midterm elections. Voting rights in the Trump era is a one-step-forward-two-steps back story. And just when you think you\u2019ve caught up on the news, another state, another county, or another White House authoritarian surprises you with a new wrinkle.
\nRead more<\/a><\/p>\n

THE CANDIDATES<\/p>\n

MO GOP PAC goes low with scary words and images<\/strong>
\nOctober 30, 2018. By Bill Kesler<\/em>
\nThe Missouri House Republican Campaign Committee (HRCC) seems to have a thing for scary words like socialism, state-controlled healthcare, atheists, liberal professors, progressive and, gasp, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ann Wagner has support of Sex Trafficking Advocate?<\/strong>
\nOctober 26, 2018. By Arthur Lieber<\/em>
\nWell, we all make mistakes, but this is a whopper. Congresswoman Ann Wagner (MO-02) thinks that she has made name for herself opposing sex-trafficking. A recent Wagner TV spot seems to indicate an opposite tack. Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Trying to cut through the B.S. in Missouri\u2019s U.S. Senate Race<\/strong>
\nOctober 12, 2018. <\/em>By Arthur Lieber<\/em>
\nThey\u2019re angry with one another \u2013 Claire McCaskill and Josh Hawley, running in the tightly contested U.S. Senate race in Missouri. McCaskill is doggedly pursuing re-election and shows remarkable energy for someone who is 65. Hawley is trying to help Missouri Republicans overcome the stain of their last young knight in shining armor, former Governor Eric Greitens. Let me suggest ways in which at least one candidate, McCaskill could make her campaign more honest, spend far less money, and do the voters a real service.
\nRead more<\/a><\/p>\n

Ann Wagner: Missouri Congresswoman in absentia<\/strong>
\nAugust 3, 2018. <\/em>By Reece Ellis<\/em>
\nMissouri has produced great people who are a credit to our state and are known for their legacy of public service. Congresswoman Ann Wagner [R-MO CD 2] is not one of those great Missourians. Perhaps there was a time she could\u2019ve been, but the Faustian bargain she has made with Donald Trump has divested her of whatever dignity she could\u2019ve hoped to muster after what was an already lackluster congressional career.
\nRead more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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