Election day has come and gone and many, if not all, of the results have been verified by the secretary of state’s office. There was only one election for a statewide office and four ballot measures in addition to local House races.

Constitutional Amendment 2 asked whether or not voters wanted to amend the Missouri Constitution to allow evidence of prior criminal acts, whether charged or uncharged, to be considered by courts in prosecutions of sexual crimes that involve a victim under 18 years of age.  Statewide, the amendment passed with approximately 72 percent of the vote. It passed in the 21st Senatorial District by the same percentage.

Constitutional Amendment 3 would have required teachers to be evaluated by a standards-based performance evaluation system, as well as allowed teachers to be dismissed, retained, demoted, promoted and paid primarily using quantifiable student performance data as part of the evaluation system. This amendment failed, statewide, with 76.44 percent of votes against. It failed in the 21st District by approximately 80 percent. Amendment 3 was the only issue on the ballot that came from an initiative petition. An initiative petition can be proposed by any registered voter. However, proposed amendments to the constitution must be signed by 8 percent of registered voters in two-thirds of the congressional districts in the state in order to be considered for placement on a ballot.

Constitutional Amendment 6 would have permitted voters, in years when the legislature provides funding, an early voting period of six business days prior to, and including the Wednesday before, election day to cast a ballot in all general elections. Statewide, the amendment was voted down by approximately 70 percent of votes. Seventy-three percent of voters in the 21st District said no to Amendment 6.

Constitutional Amendment 10 will prohibit the governor from reducing funding passed by the General Assembly without receiving legislative consent, and places certain other restrictions on the governor’s ability to increase or decrease line items in the budget. This amendment will also prohibit the governor from proposing a budget that relies on revenue from legislation that has not yet passed in the General Assembly. Across the state, Amendment 10 passed with 56.8 percent of the vote. It passed by just slightly higher than that, 57.1 percent, in the 21st.

There was only one race for a statewide elected official, that for Missouri State Auditor. Tom Schweich was re-elected.

I would like to extend my congratulations to those who won the many local races both in our district and across the state, and wish everyone the best of luck in their upcoming roles. I would also like to thank all those who, while ultimately unsuccessful, dedicated so much time and energy to their campaigns so that voters had a choice on election day. And finally, thanks to those who participated in the democratic process and made their vote count.

As always, please feel free to contact me or my staff with any questions or concerns at any time. We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions and trying to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by phone at 866-277-0882 (toll-free) or 573-751-2272, or by fax at 573-526-7381.