Elections and Voting

Rex Sinquefield Group Fights Teacher Tenure; Will His Ku Klux Klan Comment Pose Obstacle?

In Missouri, there's a renewed push to end teacher tenure, which supporters say would ensure that the best teachers stay in the classroom. But opponents argue that abolishing tenure amounts to an unfair attack on teachers, and it doesn't help that the initiative's backer, Rex Sinquefield, last year ... More >>

Akin $270K in Debt from Failed Senate Bid

The Federal Election Commission released its post-general election report yesterday. All the giddy spending of election season has settled into the cold, harsh reality of paying for it all. Especially if you lost. It's as though post-Christmas gloom has come three weeks early! The news is especial ... More >>

St. Louis County Board of Elections is 1,000 Poll Workers Short for November

With the Democratic National Convention kicking off last night and some old crazy guy yelling at a chair last week, it's beginning to look a lot like election season everywhere you go. Only, there's a teensy problem going on at the St. Louis County Board of Elections: They're about a thousand poll ... More >>

Primary Results: Akin to Face McCaskill, Clay Trounces Carnahan, Jones Wins City Treasurer

Yesterday's Missouri primary resulted in a few surprises. The biggest, perhaps, was Congressman Lacy Clay's stunning victory over Congressman Russ Carnahan for Missouri's First Congressional District that includes all of St. Louis and much of the county. Clay garnered 63.2 percent of the vote to Car ... More >>

Vote In the State Primary! Or Don't. Whatever, Who Cares?

​Missouri's presidential primary is Tuesday, February 7. It's your chance to tell your party who you want to see represent you as president. Except that if you're planning on selecting someone from the Republican section of the ballot, your choice doesn't matter -- and that's not me saying that, i ... More >>

Missouri Polls Shows Gingrich Leading, Brunner Rising, and Randles Edging Spence

​ With the presidential primary campaign circus coming to Missouri both next week (for the election that doesn't count) and next month (for the official caucus), we're likely to soon see a serious spike in the number of polls about us. Which means it's is a good time for some Horse Race talk. Publ ... More >>

What's Worse than a Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Who Frequented Strip Clubs? How About One Who Supports TARP?

Image viaRepublican leaders hope personal care packaging mogul Dave Spence can be a more attractive gubernatorial candidate than Lt. Governor Peter Kinder.​Big news yesterday on the Missouri gubernatorial election front. Dave Spence, a businessman from St. Louis, has jumped into the race. Spence ... More >>

Lawsuit Filed Against Latest "Fair Tax" Proposals

Lawuit: Ballot language provides bad road map for voters.​Missourians for Fair Taxation last week filed a lawsuit attempting to change the ballot language for two recent proposals that will ask voters to eliminate state income tax in favor of higher sales taxes in Missouri.The group -- composed of ... More >>

Tiny Towns, Expensive Elections, St. Louis County Report Shows

​There are exactly 1,653 registered voters in the tiny municipality of Bel Ridge, Missouri. And so when the village decided to hold a special election in February 2010 to increase property taxes, the proposition was bound to be expensive on a per-vote basis. The St. Louis County Board of Election ... More >>

Scott Ogilvie: St. Louis Independent Hopes to Pull Off an Upset in 24th Ward

ward24stl.comCan independent Scott Ogilvie defeat the Democratic political machine?​Daily RFT caught up yesterday with Scott Ogilvie, the independent candidate running for alderman in the 24th Ward -- the southwest sliver of St. Louis that includes the Dogtown, Franz Park, Ellendale and Clifton H ... More >>

Are You Going to Vote Today?

​This message is for you residents of the even wards, especially wards 6, 16, 20 and 24. According to the experts, you're too lazy to vote in today's aldermanic primaries. Geez, we just voted last November, and now we've gotta go to the ballot box again? But voting today does matter. Why? ... More >>

Sinquefield's Tax Reform Labeled "Fiscally Untenable"; Could Require 12% Sales Tax

jamesrmoody.comJames Moody​An analysis of nine ballot initiatives financier Rex Sinquefield submitted to state officials this month calling for the elimination of Missouri's income tax has concluded that the state would require a sales tax of 12 percent in order to make up for lost revenue if any ... More >>

Ed Martin Concedes -- But Not Before Taking Swipes at Election Process

Martin concedes even while continuing to suggest the election was stolen. ​Six days after the election, Ed Martin has conceded that he does not have enough votes to win the Third District race for U.S. Congress. The Republican challenger phoned incumbent Congressman Russ Carnahan this morning to c ... More >>

Voting Maps Show Political Divide in Missouri; St. Louis and Kansas City vs. Everyone Else

If you need anymore convincing that the people of St. Louis and Kansas City have nothing in common -- politically -- with their fellow Missourians, consider these election results....In the race for U.S. Senate, Democrat Robin Carnahan won only three regions in Missouri: Kansas City, St. Louis and S ... More >>

What Options Does Ed Martin Have Left?

Photo by Jennifer SilverbergMartin's gonna have to go to court to avoid a loss.​UPDATED below the jump. As Daily RFT reported earlier today, Republican challenger Ed Martin has refused to concede the 3rd Congressional District race to incumbent Democrat Russ Carnahan. But does it even matter? By a ... More >>

Brian Nieves: Ass Clown of the Week

I'm Brian Nieves, and I do NOT support this message. Ass Clown? Moi!? ​Congratulations to State Representative Brian Nieves (R - Union) for winning his second election this month. The first came August 2 when Nieves won the G.O.P. primary for state Senate District 26. The second came this morning ... More >>

Watchdog Group Questions Integrity of Missouri's Ballot Initiative Process

Before heading to the primary polls today to vote on Prop C and the Blunt-Carnahan senate seat, you probably ought to peruse the 2010 "Report Card" from the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center.In their annual report, the Washington D.C.-based think tank assigned letter grades for the 24 states that al ... More >>

St. Louis U.S. Attorney: This Is Not Chicago, "You Just Can't Vote Twice!"

Not in St. Louis you don't!​St. Louis resident Tarrell Campbell, 34, St. Louis, pleaded guilty this morning in federal court to one count of voter fraud for voting twice in the 2008 general election. According to court documents, Campbell had been a long-time registered voter in the city of St. ... More >>

Planning to Vote in Next Week's Primary? You're Among the Minority

The first round of the 2010 campaign season is about to come to an end in Missouri with next Tuesday's primaries. And while the fate of dozens of political wannabes hangs in the balance, it will be just a smattering of voters who determine their future. Yesterday, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan ( ... More >>

Jay Nixon: Ass Clown of the Week

​For the second time in two years, Jay Nixon has one a landslide election. Though something tells me da' governor isn't going to put this one on his resumé. Daily RFT readers this weekend overwhelmingly elected Nixon as their "Ass Clown of the Week." Nixon earned a whopping 53 percent of the vote ... More >>

The Humane Society and big agriculture slug it out over animal rights

Early Voting in Missouri: Easy Work Done, Now Who Wants to Gather Signatures?

​Today Secretary of State Robin Carnahan announced that a petition for changing Missouri election laws can be circulated for signature to voters. The initiative would allow Missourians to cast early ballots for all general federal elections (ie. the offices of Congress, the Senate and the presiden ... More >>

Legal Challenge to Smoking Ban Would Be Tough Sell, Say Law Experts

​Even before voters in St. Louis County overwhelmingly approved a smoking ban last week, opponents of the ban warned that they might challenge the statute in court.  At a press conference in October, Bill Hannegan of "Vote No on Proposition N" and Keep St. Louis Free said he and others were e ... More >>

If An Election Is Held In the County and Nobody Votes Does it Make A Sound?

geeks4ever.me/post/108421980/ifatreefalls​Or, a better question: do the results count?There are some important issues at stake in the off-year election coming up on November 3: Proposition N, the smoking ban initiative on which the fate of the city's recently passed ban hinges, and E-911, a sales ... More >>

Mayor Slays Competition

Francis SlayThe results are in, and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay cruised to an easy victory in Tuesday's primary election. The incumbent captured 61.57 percent of the vote (or 19,350 votes.) His challengers, Irene Smith and Denise Coleman garnered 31.92 percent and 6.51 percent of the vote, respecti ... More >>

Mayor Slay Faces New Challenger. But Can Anyone Topple the Incumbent?

Update: As if St. Louis politics couldn't get any stranger...late this afternoon Maida Coleman held a press conference to announce that she would not be filing for candidacy in the Democratic primary. Coleman's decision followed news that another African-American candidate with the same last ... More >>

On Election Day, Lose the Obama Shirt

¡Ask a Mexican! Disappearing act: Why does his Mexican boyfriend pretend like he doesn't exist?

Last Night: Fashionable and Undecided, Voters Sound Off

Two of a Kind: Clayton High grad Sean Quinn and poker buddy/baseball stat head Nate Silver crunch the Electoral College numbers on FiveThirtyEight.com

Stop Procrastinating. Here's How to Register to Vote.

So Long for Now, Sarah

Last Night: Hundreds at Mad Art Gallery Shout 'Yes We Can!' During Barack Obama Watch Party

Hot Contender: If looks count, Sarah Steelman may be your next governor

Libertarians shun Chief Wana Dubie.

Critics say he's just blowing smoke.

Paper Tiger

When is a recount not a recount?

Elections and Self-Promotion: The American Way

Weather Vane

Gephardt tries to reinvent himself -- again

School Daze

Tom Bauer's "student bill of rights" stirs up a storm over the future of the city's public schools

Dead Man Voting

St. Louis elections are a national joke. Trouble is, it's not funny anymore.

Party Disloyalty

The 20th Ward delivers for the Democrats, then gets dumped

The Wright Stuff

Mayor Adrian Wright knows what's right for Pine Lawn. If folks don't like it, that's just tough.

Dead Heat

Efforts to tie attempted voter fraud to the Bosley campaign haven't stuck

The New Wisdom of Boz

A chastened ex-mayor says he's sorry and asks for another chance

Slimin' the City

When it comes to Election Day problems in St. Louis, the politicians' rhetoric doesn't match the reality

Party Crashers

Ralph Nader tries to derail the corporate-sponsored presidential debates with a lawsuit. Protesters have their own plans to disrupt the Bush-Gore affair at Wash. U.

Primary Color

Following the greenbacks as Missouri gears up for Super Tuesday

Animal Kingdom

A proposal before the Missouri Legislature seems tailored to make the Department of Conservation, already a fiefdom unto itself, even less answerable to citizens

The Rainmaker

Public-relations pro Jeff Rainford helped end a 27-year drought in the St. Louis school- desegregation case, but he's still bothered by the bucket of cold water Mayor Clarence Harmon threw on the victory celebration

Money Doesn't Buy Politicians?

Even the worst judges ought to know better than that