A ballot initiative in Missouri is seeking to change the way statewide elections are run. Currently, in the Show-Me State, there are party primaries in August, and voters choose between the winners of the primaries in November. The Better Elections initiative seeks to move to what’s known as ranked-choice voting. Rosetta Okohson, a Democratic consultant and co-leader of the […]
State Senator Dan Hegeman has pre-filed Senate Bill 633 regarding election integrity and reform. While it contains some familiar language, Hegeman said it also embraces new technology, with what he called “voter safety” in mind. The legislative proposal would allow a local election official to oversee ballot-counting machines and ensure these machines are not connected […]
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released today her regularly scheduled audit of Harrison County, located in northwest Missouri. The report, which rated county operations as “good,” is the first audit of the county since a November 2015 audit, which resulted in a rating of “fair.” The audit found that the procedures for complying with the Sunshine Law […]
(Missouri Independent) – The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill isn’t just about roads and bridges — it also spends billions to address wildfire, drought, flooding, and other effects from climate change, Interior Department officials said Wednesday. The $1.2 trillion measure, which is awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature after the House cleared it last week, includes pay […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin mailing ballots this week for the Farm Service Agency county and urban county committee elections to all eligible agricultural producers and private landowners across the country. Elections are occurring in certain Local Administrative Areas (LAA) for these committee members who make important decisions about how federal farm programs […]
Actions taken Monday night by the Trenton City Council include approval of two ordinances and six motions. Two of the topics resulted in split votes of the council. With a roll call vote of six in favor and two opposed, a conditional use permit was issued by ordinance to Terry Hearn to operate a used […]
Public hearings for Missouri’s redistricting process begin Saturday in St. Louis and continue next week in Springfield and Kansas City. Watchdog groups advocating for fair maps are urging the state House and Senate bipartisan commissions working on the new maps to take into account what residents want in their voting districts and to keep what are […]
Chillicothe City Administrator Darin Chappell has submitted a letter of resignation to the Mayor’s office to be effective December 17. In the letter, Chappell indicates he originally planned to retire in March, but he found he was “incapable of devoting the time and attention to the city, [his] family, and [his] future endeavors, sufficient for […]
(Missouri Independent) – Congress made a last-minute dash to avert a government shutdown on Thursday, with the U.S. Senate and House approving a short-term spending bill just hours ahead of a midnight deadline. Every Democratic and independent senator and 15 Republicans supported the bill in the 65-35 vote. The GOP senators in the “aye” tally included […]
The Livingston County Library is hosting its Annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest for adults, children, teens, and families. For the Youth Library, there will be six categories the pumpkin can be entered into including 2 and under, ages 3-5, ages 6-9, ages 10-12, 13-19, or a family entry. There will be a prize for each category. […]
(Missouri Independent) – U.S. Senate Republicans blocked an attempt by Democrats on Monday evening to begin debate on a broad bill that would avert multiple looming fiscal crises for the federal government. The measure to briefly keep the government operating past the end of the fiscal year on Thursday, as well as to increase the […]
(Missouri Independent) – Activists are ramping up the pressure on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to move on his chamber’s version of a voting rights bill, even though there’s no sign there will be enough Republican support to advance it. Alternatively, they’re pressing for an end to the filibuster, though there’s no indication there would […]
Trenton’s Administrative Committee on Tuesday night voted two to one against repealing the breed-specific dog ordinance. This recommendation will be forwarded to the Monday night meeting of the full Trenton City Council. Committee members voting to keep the current ordinance were David Mlika and Danny Brewer. Voting to repeal the ordinance was Robert Romesburg. Kevin […]
As lawmakers in Congress work to expand access to voting, members of the Missouri Legislature are proposing laws their critics say would limit people’s ability to vote. State legislative committees on elections convened last week to discuss measures that would impose a stricter voter ID law, require election officials to purge voter rolls more frequently, and others. Luz […]
There is no federal or statewide race this fall, but Iowa voters in many cities will still head to the polls for municipal and school elections and county auditors hope they are informed about sweeping changes the state adopted this year dealing with voting. In March, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill, which, among other things, reduces […]
(Missouri Independent) – With several months to go before state lawmakers return for the 2022 legislative session, Republicans are promising to once again push to require photo identification to vote. Committees in the Missouri House and Senate held hearings Tuesday dominated by discussions of requiring a government-issued ID for both in-person and absentee voting. Secretary […]
(Missouri Independent) – Senate Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a revamped voting rights bill that would expand voter registration as well as create nonpartisan redistricting committees, but the measure is still likely to face an uphill battle in an evenly divided Senate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he will bring the legislation to the floor […]
After releasing the findings of a voter fraud investigation involving two St. Charles County voters, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft went on record to make clear his intentions regarding voter integrity by announcing his plan to keep voting secure and accurate in upcoming Missouri elections while making sure no voter is turned away from the […]
Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins will be featured at the Grundy County Farm Bureau Annual Meeting next month. Farm Bureau members and their families are encouraged to attend the fellowship hall of the First Christian Church in Trenton on September 9th at 5:30 in the evening. The meeting will also include voting on county […]
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft released the findings from an investigation pertaining to individuals who allegedly voted more than once in the 2020 general elections. Based on probable cause statements issued by Ashcroft’s office, two individuals, both of St. Charles County, voted at least twice using mail-in ballots sent to Florida and then voted in-person […]
