Missouri will hold the Midterm Elections, Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Senate 

Senator Claire McCaskill (D) will take on Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley (R) in the Missouri Senate race, Tuesday, Nov. 6.

McCaskill’s seat is one of the 35 Senate seats up for election in this year’s midterms. Of the 35 seats, 26 are currently held by Democrats and nine are held by Republicans, giving Republicans the chance to take an even stronger hold on Congress.

Missouri is a republican-led state. President Donald Trump won the state by 18.5 percent and the last time a democrat won a statewide election was McCaskill’s 2012 election.

McCaskill began her political career in the Missouri House of Representatives in 1982, eventually becoming Jackson County Prosecutor in 1992. Later, she would become the Missouri State Auditor in 1999 and become the first female senator of Missouri in 2006.

McCaskill’s focuses are to expand job and business opportunities and support veterans. She also supports healthcare coverage for those with pre-existing conditions under the Affordable Care Act, citing that she beat cancer in 2016.

Hawley became Missouri Attorney General in 2017. As Attorney General, he began an investigation into Google to ensure Missourians’ safety and privacy online.

Hawley plans on fighting the opioid epidemic and fighting human trafficking. Hawley has also said that he supports pre-existing condition coverage, but does not support the Affordable Care Act.

However, Hawley was one of 22 who signed on to challenge the Affordable Care Act in Texas v. United States.

U.S. House of Representatives

The following are the U.S. House of Representatives candidates for each district:

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Ballot initiatives

There are seven state ballot measures on the Tuesday, Nov. 6 ballot. 

The first is Missouri Amendment 1, the Lobbying, Campaign Finance, and Redistricting Initiative. If passed, the amendment will change Missouri’s lobbying laws, campaign finance limits for state congress candidates and change the legislative redistricting process.

Three different marijuana initiatives will be voted on.

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Missouri Amendment 2 is the Medical Marijuana and Veteran Healthcare Services Initiative. If passed, Missouri will legalize marijuana for medical purposes, taxing all sales at four percent and spend the tax revenue on healthcare services for veterans. This is the only amendment that allows patients to grow their own marijuana at home.

Missouri Amendment 3, the Medical Marijuana and Biomedical Research and Drug Development Institute, would also legalize marijuana for medical use, but it would be taxed at 15 percent and the revenue will go toward a Biomedical Research and Drug Development Institute.

If medical marijuana is legalized, Missouri will join 31 states in legalizing the drug for medicinal uses.

Most states don’t tax prescription medications, meaning marijuana is exempt from this standard.

If both marijuana amendments pass, then the one with the most votes takes precedence. However, if a prop and an amendment pass, there is no precedent, so it is unknown what would happen.

Conditions that qualify for medical marijuana prescriptions include cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, intractable migraines, psychiatric disorders, HIV/AIDS, chronic conditions and all terminal illnesses.

Missouri Amendment 4 is the Management and Advertisement of Bingo Games. The amendment aims to lower the time that someone who is a member of an organization is required to manage a bingo game for the organization from two years to six months. The amendment will also remove the ban on organizations advertising bingo games.

Missouri Proposition B increases the state minimum wage from $7.85 to $12.00 by 2023.

Missouri Proposition C is the Medical Marijuana and Veterans Healthcare Services, Education, Drug Treatment, and Public Safety Initiative. The prop would legalize marijuana medically, tax all sales at two percent and put the revenue toward veterans’ services, drug treatment, education and law enforcement.

Lastly, Missouri Proposition D is the Gas Tax Increase, Olympic Prize Tax Exemption and Traffic Reduction Fund Measure. The prop would increase gas tax by 10 cents per gallon, putting the revenue toward the state highway patrol. It would also exempt prizes from the Special Olympics, Paralympics and Olympics from state taxes. Lastly, the prop would create a fund for road projects that would reduce traffic bottlenecks that affect freight.

Supreme Court

Two seats in the Missouri Supreme Court will also be up for election. Both Mary Rhodes Russell and Wesley Brent Powell will be seeking voter approval to remain on the court.

Voters will not necessarily need to show a photo ID to vote, according to a new ruling.

Missouri polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m, Tuesday, Nov. 6.