1. Missouri Constitution Study Guide

Andrew Jansen/News-Leader Nov. 6 is your day to decide, Springfield. Missouri voters will have their say on the shape of the U.S. Senate in the first midterm election of the Donald Trump presidency.

Oct 24, 2018 - Check out our voter guide for all your answers. Order as they appear on your ballot, so you can study the issues and reference all the information you'll need at the polls. The Missouri Constitution requires a state auditor to meet the same eligibility criteria as a. State Representative (multiple districts). The first constitution was written in 1820 after Missouri became a state as a result of the Missouri Compromise. A second constitution was written after the Civil War in 1865.

Ordinary citizens will also decide whether the Show-Me state will join 31 others in making medical marijuana legal. They'll also decide if they want to adopt — or reject — the Clean Missouri plan to change the culture of Jefferson City. These aren't small choices, and they're far from the only ones on the ballot this fall. This overview collects News-Leader reporting on the many choices appearing this election, organized in the same order as they appear on your ballot, so you can study the issues and reference all the information you'll need at the polls. Election survival guide: What voters should know before casting ballots. Nathan Papes/News-Leader This race is more than a contest between law-school graduates of Yale and Mizzou. Despite competition from independent, Green and Libertarian candidates, the most recent polls indicate that Missouri's U.S.

Senate race is a toss-up between incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill and Republican Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley. With control of the Senate in the balance, the race is being closely watched across the country.

Missouri's Senate winner will serve six years, helping decide executive and judicial appointments. Meanwhile, under the Constitution, if the U.S. House impeaches a president, it's the Senate that chooses whether to convict. The race prompted visits to Springfield by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in recent weeks.

Trump endorsed Hawley before the August primary, and Hawley has kept his public stances in line with the White House. Health care, specifically coverage of pre-existing conditions, has dominated debate between the two camps. Hawley is one of many Republican state attorneys general supporting a lawsuit that seeks to declare the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional.

The Obamacare law bars insurance companies from dropping anyone's coverage due to a pre-existing condition. Nathan Papes/News-Leader Despite that, Trump told the Springfield crowd that 'Josh Hawley will always protect pre-existing conditions' during his most recent visit. More: McCaskill, Hawley square off in first debate McCaskill and other Missouri Democrats say it's dishonest for Hawley to conduct anti-Obamacare litigation at the same time Hawley says he supports a key provision of the law. Other issues in the race have included McCaskill's Senate vote against the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Some observers thought that voting for Kavanaugh's confirmation would alienate McCaskill's Democratic base — which has sometimes expressed frustration with the two-term senator for being too moderate.

If she voted against the federal judge, she'd lose Republican cross-over voters she'd need. McCaskill voted no on Kavanaugh.

He was confirmed 50-48 in early October. She said in late September that she was thumbs-down on Kavanaugh not because of sexual misconduct accusations leveled against him by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and other women, but because McCaskill thought Kavanaugh's attitude toward the influence of 'dark money' on the political process was inappropriate. McCaskill has also criticized Hawley for his position on 'right-to-work' laws, which Hawley supports, including an August right-to-work initiative rejected by two-thirds of Missouri voters.

Jeff Roberson, AP A Hawley campaign spokeswoman sided with President Trump when McCaskill joined Missouri's other senator, Republican Roy Blunt, in condemning Trump for siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow's attempts to interfere with the 2016 U.S. 'President Trump won. Hillary lost,' said the Hawley spokeswoman, characterizing the president as 'forceful' with Russia.

More: Mike Pence praises Brett Kavanaugh while campaigning for Josh Hawley in Springfield With less than two weeks before the election, national media have swarmed to cover the McCaskill-Hawley contest. Late Tuesday, McClatchy newspapers reported on a complaint filed Monday night with the Federal Election Commission. Hawley’s Senate campaign and a National Rifle Association political-action committee are alleged to have collaborated on a detailed plan to conceal coordination between the two entities, which would be against federal law. Hawley's campaign said the complaint was 'frivolous.' The NRA called it 'categorically false.' 17, McCaskill was the subject of a pro-Hawley TV spot alleging that McCaskill said 'that normal people can afford (private planes).'

According to Politifact, the claim is 'half true.' McCaskill, whose use of private planes has been a long-running source of gaffes, said 'normal people can afford' private planes in August 2017. But, the fact-checkers found, the words were taken out of context. Hawley's performance as Missouri attorney general has also come under scrutiny. A Saturday New York Times report based on interviews with current and former state employees and public records found that Hawley's tenure as Missouri attorney general has been 'chaotic' and 'costly for state taxpayers.' On Monday, the New Yorker ran a lengthy profile of McCaskill.

The magazine noted that she carried Greene County by four points in 2012, but that in the 2016 presidential race, Hillary Clinton lost Greene County by almost 30 percent. In the current election, McCaskill needs to win the voters who chose her in 2012 but went for Trump in 2016. News-Leader File Photo Missouri voters will choose who will head the statewide watchdog office for taxpayer dollars.

The incumbent, Democrat Nicole Galloway, faces Republican challenger Saundra McDowell. Galloway, a certified public accountant and previously Boone County treasurer, was appointed to the office in 2015 by former Gov. Jay Nixon, another Democrat, after Republican Auditor Tom Schweich died from suicide. McDowell is an Air Force veteran, an attorney and was previously a securities enforcement official in Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's office and an assistant attorney general. Galloway has criticized McDowell for her failed Springfield law practice and her other personal financial problems. More: Auditor: Missouri should do more to prevent improper transactions in welfare program Legal documents show that when McDowell and her husband didn't pay their bills, their landlord took them to court and won a judgment for more than $30,000 in late rent and fees, along with an order to garnish the McDowells' wages.

McDowell's Missouri residency has been an issue in the campaign, as well. The Missouri Constitution requires a state auditor to meet the same eligibility criteria as a governor — which includes residing in Missouri for 10 years prior to election day. McDowell is an Oklahoma native who moved to Missouri in 2010. However, she has said she established her 'intent' to make Missouri her permanent home prior to Nov. At a September campaign forum, McDowell accused Galloway of violating the Sunshine Law over deleted text messages. Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, a Republican, oversaw an investigation that found no evidence of wrongdoing.

Submitted Photo Missouri's 7th Congressional District, which includes Springfield, is rated one of the most Republican-friendly in the nation by Cook Political Report. In response, Democratic opponents of GOP incumbent Rep. Billy Long — who has never won a race with less than 63 percent of the vote since first being elected in 2010 — ran to the left during primary season. The Democratic primary winner, former Willard mayor Jamie Schoolcraft, supports Medicare for all, opposes 'right-to-work' laws, supports a higher minimum wage and wants to increase education funding and access to community colleges. More: When Billy Long arrives with President Trump, they could cross paths with Long's opponent Schoolcraft was endorsed by the Justice Democrats, a national group that also endorsed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a left-wing candidate who upset an establishment Democrat in the New York state primary.

Long, who has not appeared in any debates or local candidate forums, made national headlines in September when he used his auctioneer skills to drown out comments by an activist with the so-called 'alt-right' who protested a congressional hearing that included testimony from embattled Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. Earlier this month, Long was endorsed by the National Rifle Association, according to votesmart.org, and in August, he was endorsed by Missouri Right to Life, an anti-abortion group.

News-Leader staff With longtime state lawmaker Sen. Bob Dixon termed out of the seat he's held for eight years and now running for Greene County presiding commissioner, this district — the boundaries of which closely track Springfield city limits — is now the subject of a contested race. State senators in Missouri serve four-year terms.

Missouri Constitution Study Guide

In 2014, Republican Dixon won with no opposition from Democrats. He was first elected with 65 percent of votes in 2010. Lincoln Hough, a current Greene County commissioner and member of the GOP, is running against north Springfield Democrat Charlie Norr. More: After Cirtin's defeat, Hough renews call for state auditor to investigate Greene County Norr told KSMU earlier this month that his top two priorities are “Minimum wage increases' and 'healthcare for everyone.' Poverty, a condition experienced by 25.9 percent of Springfield residents, is a top issue for Norr. Hough, meanwhile, told the public radio station that 'economic development,' including attracting a talented workforce to Springfield, was among his top priorities. He also believes government at every level should 'come back as a governing body that really just cares about the people that we’re serving.'

Courtesy photo Republican Eric Burlison is running for the senate seat in this district, which covers Christian County and rural Greene County. Jim Billedo is his Democratic opponent. State senators serve four-year terms. The district has been served by Sen.

Baldwin cross reference. Jay Wasson (R-Nixa). He was first elected in 2010 with 78 percent of votes, then ran unopposed in 2014.

More: Burlison: Guns safe in good people’s hands Burlison previously told the News-Leader he wants to 'empower families to be successful' by getting government out of their lives. He supports 'right-to-work' laws and sponsored a 2016 firearms bill that did away with Missouri's permitting requirement for carrying a concealed weapon. In a voter-guide survey, Billedo, a former union official, told the News-Leader he supports a 'living wage' so workers need not 'rely on government assistance to make ends meet.'

He wants to spend public funds on education and infrastructure including transport, energy and communication.