Sen. Claire McCaskill Focused on Voter Accessibility During Election Day Push

McCaskill turned out to the Kirkwood Community Center Tuesday morning to cast her vote.

Before stepping in the Kirkwood Community Center to vote at around 8 a.m. Tuesday morning, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) said her team's focus on this Election Day is voter accessibility. "We're really going to be trying to keep an eye on where there are the longest lines are and making sure they’re attributal to a high turnout and not to any actual glitches or problems with the machines or the polling places themselves," McCaskill told Patch. To aid with the effort, the McCaskill team has lawyers working on voter protection throughout the state and ready to answer calls about any concerns of voter accessibility. "We want to make sure people aren’t having to wait in lines longer than an hour and a half or so," McCaskill said. After …

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Election 2012: View a Sample Ballot by Entering Your Voter Info

Wondering what your ballot will look like? Here's a way to take a peek before heading to the polls.

There's a lot at stake in the presidential election on Nov. 6. Are you ready? We know that even though we have offered you a lot on election information on Patch, sometimes it looks different when you are in the voting booth. To find out what your ballot will look like, visit the Missouri Secretary of State website and simply enter your name, address and date of birth.

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Tobacco Taxes Save Lives, Protect Kids

CEO of the American Cancer Society and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network writes a letter to the editor in support of Prop B.

Dear Editor, Thirty-five people a day die from cancer in Missouri. One-third of those deaths are directly attributable to tobacco use. That loss of life is tragic -- and it’s preventable. We have a moral imperative to do everything we can to reduce the toll of this devastating disease on families in our state and our country. Missourians have the opportunity Nov. 6 to take direct aim at cancer with a yes vote on Proposition B. The ballot measure would increase the state cigarette tax by 73 cents and invest $283 million a year into Missouri schools and programs to prevent tobacco use. Tobacco taxes have been proven to be the most effective way to reduce smoking rates and to help prevent kids from starting the deadly habit. If passed, Prop. …

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Recount Says Koenen to Face Wagner in November

A recount didn't change the outcome of Missouri's 2nd congressional district democratic primary vote.

Democrat Glenn Koenen, of Oakville, will face republican Ann Wagner for Missouri's second congressional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democratic challenger Harold Whitfield, of Kirkwood, requested a recount of the  Aug. 7 primary results after original returns showed a 48-vote difference between Whitfield and Koenen. The recount completed Wednesday shows Koenen winning the nomination with 7,894 votes to Whitfield's 7,848. Totals changed slightly with the recount but not enough for Whitfield to capture the majority of the votes, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday. Learn more at stltoday.com.

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Political Rewind: Gov. Nixon Logs $600k in Taxpayer-Funded Travel Expenses

Patch prides itself on local coverage, but Missouri politics can have just as much an effect as local government. Here's an easy guide to what happened this week on the state political scene.

Editor's Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Missouri Watchdog. McCaskill leads congressional candidates in out-of-state campaign donations Although Claire McCaskill is Missouri’s senator, they seem to love her in such places as New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. An examination of election donations shows that McCaskill, a Democrat, is the only Missouri congressional candidate who gets more individual campaign support from outside the Show Me State than from within its borders. Fifty-seven percent of the $6.3 million that McCaskill has raised for the 2012campaign from individual donations comes from other states. The next highest is District 5 incumbent Democrat Emanuel Cleaver, who has raised 41 …

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Congressional Hopeful From Kirkwood Officially Requests Recount

Harold Whitfield, former Kirkwood city councilor and municipal judge, has asked for a recount in the race for the Democratic nomination for the 2nd Congressional District. Unofficial results show Whitfield losing the race by 49 votes.

The Missouri Secretary of State's office has 20 days to certify a recount for the Democratic nomination for the 2nd Congressional District in which unofficial election results show Harold Whitfield, of Kirkwood, losing to Glenn Koenen, of Oakville, by 49 votes.  The Secretary of State's office received an official request for a recount from Whitfield Tuesday, according to Sarah Jorgenson of the office's communications and publications division.  Going into the election, Whitfield said he thought his chances at victory were good and that residents in Glendale, Kirkwood and Des Peres were very supportive of his campaign that focused on putting boots on the ground, as previously reported by Patch. Koenen previously told Patch that he knew the…

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New Laws Take Effect Tuesday In Missouri

Find out what the new measures mean for childhood asthma sufferers in school, the next presidential primary date and unwanted telemarketing pitches.

Missourians woke up to a bevy of new laws, which went into effect Tuesday. For a complete list of what bills were "Truly Agreed To and Finally Passed," including bills that were also vetoed by Gov. Jay Nixon, see the Missouri General Assembly's website.  Missouri state lawmakers are scheduled to return to Jefferson City for the veto override session next in September.

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McCaskill: Rape Comment 'Window Into Akin's Mind'

Claire McCaskill appeared on MSNBC Monday to discuss Todd Akin's comment on 'legitimate rape,' which she calls a 'gut-check' for Missourians.

Claire McCaskill has been quick to respond to Todd Akin's comment Sunday in an interview with Patch news partner FOX2 that aired on Sunday with Charles Jaco in which Akin suggested the female body has ways of shutting down to prevent pregnancy during a "legitimate rape." See: Rep. Todd Akin On Hot Seat Over 'Legitimate Rape' Comment in FOX2 Interview After calling Akin's comment 'offensive' and 'outrageous' in a statement released Sunday, the Missouri Senator appeared on MSNBC Monday. "For the state I love, I hope this is a moment where everyone who hasn't been paying close attention, um, this statement is kind of a window into Todd Akin's mind," McCaskill said on Morning Joe.  McCaskill went onto note that Akin won the Republican primary …

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Deb Lavender for State Representative Fundraiser Tonight

The trivia night event kicks off at 7 p.m. at the Kirkwood Community Center.

Sale or Sales Tax Holiday? Which One Offers The Best Back-to-School Deals?

Where will you find the best savings, during this weekend's sales tax holiday or during a store's regular sale? Tell us in our 'Patch' poll.

The Missouri sales tax holiday is underway and runs until midnight, Sunday. From Aug. 3 - 5, Missouri is waiving the state 4.225 percent sales tax and St. Louis County is waiving its 2.7 percent sales tax. Shoppers can save at least close to 7 percent of some purchases as a result. (Read Previous Story: Sales Tax Holiday Now Underway) Sales tax in waived on select items this weekend. Click here for a complete list of qualified items. Many cities opt out of the holiday and are not waiving the sales tax this weekend. The Missouri Department of Revenue lists all cities opting out on its website.  Although the weekend offers welcome discounts, St. Louis Better Business Bureau Director Chris Thetford reminders shoppers that although the sales …

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