Compiled by Amanda Lubinski & Kellie Houx
6 ballot questions, 10 judges also on ballot
CLAY COUNTY — Voters who cast their ballot in the Tuesday, Nov. 5 general election will choose from a slew of candidates running for the nation’s and state’s top elected offices. Voters will also decide the fate of six ballot questions and whether 10 judges retain their seats on the bench.
The following is a rundown of those running in local state races as well as details on ballot questions and judges. For a complete copy of the ballot, see the eEdition of this week’s newspaper at mycouriertribune.com. More details on candidates and ballot questions are also available at the site.
Live election results from the county returns will be reported on the Courier-Tribune’s social media pages, @myCTnews on X and MyCourierTribune.com on Facebook. Full stories with reactions from winners will be published in next week’s print edition.
Questions on ballot
Amendment 2 would legalize sports betting in Missouri for adults age 21 and older.
If passed, the measure would impose a 10% tax on bets that would fund regulation of sports wagering, resources for gambling addiction and education.
Amendment 3 would establish a right to make decisions about reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives, reversing the state’s near-total ban on abortion.
If passed, abortion could still be restricted or banned by the state after fetal viability except to protect the life or health of the woman giving birth.
Amendment 5 would allow a casino to operate at the Lake of the Ozarks, raising the limits by one on how many gambling boats can operate in the state.
Amendment 6 would implement court fees for people going through the legal system to fund the pensions of current and former sheriffs and prosecuting attorneys. Fees would be limited by state law to $3 for sheriff pension funds and $4 for prosecuting attorney pension funds per defendant.
Proposition A would raise Missouri’s minimum wage and require most employers to provide paid sick leave to employees.
If the proposition passes, the base pay for workers would increase from $12.30 an hour to $13.75 an hour on Jan. 1, 2025 and to $15 an hour in January 2026. Increases after that would be based on inflation.
If passed, Proposition A would also require employers with 15 or more workers to provide one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked.
Judges on ballot
In order to help voters decide if judges should retain their positions on the bench, the Missouri Bar Association evaluates judges and publishes findings online at yourmissourijudges.org.
Judges on the November ballot for Clay County who were reviewed this election cycle are: Kelly Broniec and Ginger K. Gooch of the state Supreme Court; Cynthia Martin, Janet Sutton and Gary Witt of the state appeals court; Tim Flook and Alisha O’Hara of the circuit court; and associate circuit court judges Louis Angles, Calan McConkey and Dan White.
Missouri House races
In State House District 8, which covers parts of Clay County including Smithville, Paradise and Holt, incumbent Republican Josh Hurlbert and Democrat Sandy Van Wagner, who formerly served on the Smithville School Board, face off.
State House representatives serve a two-year term.
Incumbent and Republican Bill Allen faces challenger and Democrat Shirley Mata for the Missouri State House District 17 seat. He was elected to his first two-year term in November 2022. Mata is a retired United Auto Workers 249 worker.
The district covers a portion of Clay County including Kansas City-North, Pleasant Valley, Claycomo and Birmingham.
Incumbent and Republican Chris Brown faces challenger and Democrat Gloria Young for election to the Missouri State House District 16 seat. Brown is seeking his third term while Young is an applied anthropologist and state politics newcomer. The district covers a portion of Clay County including Kansas City-North.
State political newcomers Ken Jamison, a Democrat, and Mike Jones, a Republican, will be on the November ballot for election to the Missouri State House District 15 seat. The district covers a portion of Clay County including Kansas City-North, Gladstone and Oakview. Jamison is an attorney while Jones is a retired from the building industry, which includes sports facilities.
In House District 38, which includes Liberty, Republican incumbent Chris Lonsdale faces Democrat Martin Jacobs, a former high school principal and educator from Liberty.
Senate races
In Missouri Senate District 17, which covers Gladstone, North Kansas City, Kansas City and Claycomo, Republican Jerry Nolte, current Clay County presiding commissioner, faces Maggie Nurrenbern, a Democrat who currently serves as Missouri House representative in District 15.
State senators serve a four-year term.
In Missouri Senate District 21, Republican Kurtis Gregory, from Marshall, who currently represents District 51 in the Missouri House, faces Democrat Jim Bates, who is currently an account manager at SkillPath and ran for the Liberty School Board in 2022.
Senate District 21 includes Liberty, Kearney and Smithville, but not Gladstone, which is part of Senate District 17.
Where to vote
No-excuse-needed early voting runs through Nov. 4. This type of voting can be done 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday at the county election board office in Liberty. No-excuse early voting can also be done between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday through Nov. 2 at Gladstone Community Center, 6901 N. Homes St., Gladstone; and Annunciation Center in Kearney at 705 N. Jefferson St.
Any Clay County voter can cast their ballot at one of these three locations. For more details on absentee and early voting, visit voteclaycountymo.gov/absentee-ballot or call 415-8683.
On Election Day, polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. at voters’ polling locations and the Vote Center, located on the Metropolitan Community College campus at 2601 NE Barry Road, Kansas City. Anyone still in line at 7 p.m. on election night will be allowed to cast a ballot.
