Latest entries in Live Blog: 2010 Missouri primaries
Follow our coverage of results from today's primary elections and other ballot measures, including Proposition C, live as we keep you updated throughout the day and night.
Aug. 4, 2010
PRIMARY ELECTIONS: What was your home county's turnout? (MAP)
About 22 percent of Missouri voters cast ballots in yesterday's primary elections, in spite of high temperatures, Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan said in a press release this morning.
Carnahan said approximately 938,782 of the state's 4.1 million registered voters went to the polls yesterday. Turnout was mixed between counties, as shown by a map of county turnouts and results available here.
That proportion was lower than the 24 percent Carnahan's office had predicted before the election. Boone County saw a slightly lower turnout, with 18.37 percent of registered voters casting ballots at local polls.
The highest turnout reported in Missouri was in Dade County, in Southwest Missouri, with an estimated turnout of 45.2%. Dade County also had the highest turnout in the 2008 Primary Election.
Aug. 3, 2010
Proposition C passes with 73 percent of vote
Missouri became the first state to challenge the new federal health care law in a public referendum Tuesday, voting 73 percent in favor of Proposition C. The proposal aims to nullify a key section of the health care law requiring most people to have health insurance or face a penalty tax.
Early results from Boone County showed that 51 percent of voters rejected the proposition, but totals as of 10:34 p.m. show 60 percent of the area's voters supported it.
Visit The Maneater website tomorrow for an in-depth look at the legal battles the passage of Proposition C could cause and what it means to Missourians and students.
November US Senate match up: Blunt vs. Carnahan
With both candidates leading by wide margins in their respective primaries, the Associated Press has declared U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt the winner of the Republican Senate primary and Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan the winner of the Democratic contest.
Blunt, who represents southwest Missouri in the U.S. House of Representatives, was widely considered the favorite in a crowded field of seven Republican candidates. He had seen slightly increased competition in recent from Missouri state Sen. Chuck Purgason, R-Caulfield, who gained support from Tea Party voters for filibustering business tax breaks in the legislature's special session last month. But Blunt had advantages in both campaign funding and name recognition, even in southern Missouri, where Purgason is from.
Blunt has really already turned his focus to the November contest with Carnahan, labeling her throughout the primary campaign as a 'rubber stamp' supporter of President Barack Obama's proposals and as someone who is scared to debate him. Carnahan has since challenged Blunt and other November candidates to three debates, but the Blunt campaign has said that isn't enough.
Carnahan has also been focused on the general election. She was expected to win even more surely than Blunt, having only two Democratic challengers. Her press releases during the primary have tried to link Blunt to $700 billion federal bank bailout, saying he was one of the most influential Republican supporters of the measure. Dubbing her opponent "bailout Blunt," Carnahan has said she would vote against such bills as well as all legislative earmarks.
The November contest between the two is expected to generate national attention. The two are competing to replace Republican Sen. Kit Bond, who has represented Missouri in the upper chamber for 26 years. The race is expected to be a close one, as the lead in polls on the race has shifted from Carnahan leading to Blunt now leading 49-43% in the most recent Rasmussen poll taken last week.
Luetkemeyer to face Dwyer in US Representative race
Blaine Luetkemeyer has won his race for the 9th Congressional District’s Republican candidacy. With 363 out of 415 precincts reporting, 83 percent of Missouri voters supported Leutkemeyer. The incumbent Republican 9th District Representative will be running against Libertarian candidate Christopher Dwyer in November elections.
“We are doing the things we need to connect with the people, that’s what it’s all about is listening to people,” Luetkemeyer said in an interview last week. “We have done that in the past and will continue to do that in the future.”
Luetkemeyer has been unavailable for comment since the death of his daughter-in-law Friday.
Primaries see debut of electronic poll books
MU senior Paul Castellano gets checked in by a poll worker using an electronic pollbook at Paquin Tower during Tuesday's primary election. Pollworkers are using the software on laptops to make check-ins more efficient.
Poll workers at Tuesday's primary elections said voters were able to check in more efficiently thanks to new electronic poll books Boone County has started using in place of traditional pen-and-paper sign-in.
Voters were able to check in by having their drivers licenses or sample ballots scanned. A computer program loaded on a laptop for each poll worker extracted information people would normally have to write down, such as their name and address, and store it as a record the person had voted.
Boone County Clerk Wendy Noren announced in April that the programs would be used in the coming elections. She said the computer programs would help poll workers check in people more quickly, so they could devote time to people who need extra help.
"With a well-designed program, it could do the work for them," Noren said then.
On Tuesday, poll workers like Harold Miederhoff, at Paquin Tower, said the programs were easy to use because they received a lot of training and the clerk's office had done tests for user-friendliness even after the training.
"They're really easy to use and understand, even for an old guy like me," he said.
PRIMARY ELECTIONS: Why students voted
The Maneater talked to several students and Columbia residents who cast their ballots in today's primary elections about why they came to the polls and what they thought of the most important issues.
Sean Madden, MU graduate
Main reason for voting: Proposition C
Why he’s voting on it: “The federal government should not be able to mandate what citizens have to buy.”
Madden also said he voted for incumbent 13th circuit judge Larry Bryson, who leads challenger Kim Shaw in the primary.
Kevin Lancaster, Columbia resident
Main reason for voting: Civic duty
“Most people do not vote on the off elections, so I feel it is important to counter balance that,” he said.
Lancaster also voted for “every Democrat on the ticket,” and Proposition C, but he refused to say how he voted on the proposition.
Patrick Seanbarnacle, MU law graduate
Main reason for voting: Civic duty
“Most people do not vote on the off elections, so I feel it is important to counter balance that,” he said.
Seanbarnacle voted against Proposition C. He said the proposition should not have had multiple purposes and said the federal government has the right to regulate interstate commerce. He predicts it will be challenged in court.”
“If the proposition passes it will be a waste of resources,” he said. “It’s the same thing as the Arizona immigration law. The proposition is a political move, and our government shouldn’t waste time playing politics. Instead of being meaningful, it is meaningless.”
Seanbarnacle also voted for Robin Carnahan in the Democratic Senate primary. He said hedoesn’t particularly like Carnahan but said he dislikes the other candidates.
Audrey Moon, junior, journalism
Main reason for voting: Civic duty
Moon said she voted against Proposition C.
“My mom doesn’t have healthcare and it should be more affordable,” Moon said. “I don’t know if the healthcare legislation is the best but it is worth a try.”
Moon feels that Proposition C was not well publicized but feels that it is an important issue.
“I’m not if it will pass but I’m sure the nation will be watching,” she said.
Moon also voted for Carnahan because she “likes that she is a woman” and because Moon feels that Carnahan was a good Secretary of State.
Emily Marx, senior, music
Main reason for voting: Proposition C
Marx refused to give her position on the measure, but said she does not think it will pass.
“It is an issue I care about,” she said.
Statement from Carnahan declares victory in Democratic primary for US Senate
This is the full text of a news release sent to supporters of Robin Carnahan, the Secretary of State and Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate:
I'm about to go onstage here in Kansas City, where it will be my honor to accept the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate.
I want thank you for your hard work, encouragement and friendship. Please take a minute (or maybe even a few hours) to savor our victory - but only for tonight. Because tomorrow, the real battle to fix our state and our country begins - and we won't win that fight without your help.
Help us carry tonight's momentum through Election Day in November. Make a donation to our campaign now:
Missourians deserve a Senator willing to stand up to the special interests in Washington, not get cozy with them. And standing up is exactly what I intend to do.
I am continually humbled by your commitment and passion, and I look forward to working side by side with you in the next three months.
Thanks again,
Robin
Boone County votes now favor Proposition C
With 2,051 of 3,354 Missouri precincts reporting, Proposition C, the ballot measure to nullify the federal health care law, stands to pass with 74 percent of the vote. The latest results show Boone County voters in favor of Proposition C, with 59 percent voting for the proposal. This comes after early results showed Boone County voting slightly against the proposal.
As of 9:39 p.m., U.S. Senate candidate Robin Carnahan leads the Democratic primary race with 83 percent of the statewide vote and Roy Blunt leads his party's race for U.S. Senate candidacy with 71 percent. The Associated Press has reported wins for both candidates.
Among Boone County voters, Carnahan leads by a wider margin, pulling in 89 percent over opponents Francis Vangeli and Richard Tolbert. Boone County voters remained consistent with their fellow Missourians in the Republican primary race. Blunt has garnered 71 percent of the vote, maintaining a comfortable lead over his closest opponent, Chuck Purgason, who has 18 percent of Boone County's vote.
Purgason hasn't fared as well throughout the rest of Missouri. Statewide, he's brought in 14 percent of votes. Stay with The Maneater for continued coverage of tonight's results.
Baker says he would support Luetkemeyer
Columbia resident James Baker, a candidate in the Republican primary for the 9th district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, is trailing incumbent Blaine Luetkemeyer in tonight's voting. With 17 percent of his party's vote, he said he wants to see a change in the country's direction and would support Luetkemeyer if he won the night's race.
"If I lose the primary, of course I’m going to support Blane," he said. "He’s pro-life, second amendmant, and doesn’t like all of the out of control spending. So in that way, I will support him. I really don’t like to be negative towards the person I’m running against. I’m not running because I don’t like what Blane Luktemeyer stands for, I’m running because I don’t like the direction that our country is going under both parties."
Nauser turns eye toward contest with Kelly for seat in Missouri House
Laura Nauser, who currently represents Columbia's Fifth Ward in the City Council, is running unopposed in the Republican primary for the 24th district seat in Missouri House of Representatives.
With an eye toward her November contest with incumbent Democrat Rep. Chris Kelly, Nauser said she will now focus on going door-to-door and meeting constituents to hear their concerns. She told us tonight why she thinks MU students should vote for her in the fall.
"I think students should vote for me because I am a continuing student — I graduated in 2004 and have a unique perspective having been in school in such a late part in my career," she said in a phone interview Tuesday. "I think college tuition and making sure that Missouri students have an opportunity to obtain the best education possible so that they can compete globally. My son will be graduating high school in a couple of years, so I will be looking at that tuition bill."
