Voters on Election Day Nov. 6 will have a lot of choices to make, not just in candidates in elected office but also on seven proposed changes to state law.

Ballot issues include an ethics amendment aimed at state legislators, three medical marijuana initiatives, roll back restrictions on organized bingo, an increase to the state minimum wage and an increase to the state motor fuel tax.

BALLOT ISSUES

Amendment 1 ethics reforms

Constitutional Amendment 1 includes a wide range of ethical reforms. It would:

• Change limits on campaign contributions for state legislative candidates and forbid any law that would authorize unlimited campaign contributions;

• Establish a limit on gifts that state legislators can receive from lobbyists;

• Prohibit state legislators from serving as paid lobbyists for two years after leaving office;

• Prohibit legislative candidates from fundraising on state property; and

• Require legislative records and proceedings to be open to the public and subject to the Missouri Sunshine Law.

In addition, Amendment 1 would change the way Missouri’s legislative districts are drawn. It would require an expert person, appointed by the state auditor, to draw the map of legislative districts during district reapportionment every 10 years. The map would be subject to changes by a bipartisan citizen committee.

Other new criteria for how legislative districts are drawn would be aimed at preventing one party from gaining an unfair advantage through the redistricting process.

Marijuana initiatives

Constitutional Amendments 2 and 3, and Proposition C, would all allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Each would tax marijuana sales at different rates, and tax revenues from each ballot proposal would go toward different uses.

• Amendment 2 would place a 4 percent tax on marijuana sales. The money would be used for health and care services for military veterans.

• Amendment 3 would impose a 15 percent tax on marijuana sales. The funds would be used to establish a state research institute to develop cures and treatments for cancer and other medical conditions.

• Prop C would tax marijuana sales at 2 percent, dividing that money between veterans’ services, drug treatment, early childhood education, and public safety in cities with a medical marijuana facility.

If more than one proposal passes, state officials, and likely the court system, will have to navigate which provisions become law.

Bingo amendment

Amendment 4 would remove language in the Missouri Constitution that limits bingo game advertising, and loosen a restriction on the management of bingo games by licensed organizations.

Minimum wage increase

Proposition B would increase Missouri’s minimum wage by 85 cents every year until 2023, when the minimum wage will be $12. It would also increase the penalty for employers who pay less than the minimum wage.

State and local government employees would be exempted from the minimum wage increase, so Prop B would not have a direct impact on government spending. However, it could have a significant impact on revenue from state income taxes.

Fuel tax increase

Proposition D is a 10-cent increase to the state’s motor fuel tax. The current motor fuel tax is 17 cents per gallon. The tax increase would be implemented gradually over four years.

Money from the increase would be dedicated to Missouri state law enforcement and to local governments for road construction. Proponents contend that state highway projects would also benefit, because more of the state’s existing revenue could be directed to those projects.

CANDIDATES

U.S. Senator

Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill is being challenged for one of Missouri’s seats in the U.S. Senate by the state’s Republican attorney general, Josh Hawley.

Other candidates in the race are Libertarian Japheth Campbell, Green Party member Jo Crain and Independent Craig O’Dear.

State Auditor

Democratic incumbent auditor Nicole Galloway is being challenged by Republican Saundra McDowell. McDowell is an attorney who prosecuted fraud cases for the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.

Other candidates in the race include Libertarian Sean O’Toole, Green Party member Don Fitz and Constitution Party member Jacob Luetkemeyer.

U.S. Rep., 3rd District

Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, a Republican, is being challenged for his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives by Democrat Katy Geppert and Libertarian Donald V. Stolle.

State Senator, 10th District

The state senator of Missouri’s 10th District represents Warren County and five other counties.

The incumbent in the office, Republican Sen. Jeanie Riddle, is seeking re-election. She is challenged by Ayanna Shivers of Mexico, Mo., a Democrat.

State House Rep., 42nd District

Two people are competing to replace Rep. Bart Korman in the Missouri House of Representatives. The 42nd District includes Warrenton and Marthasville, all of Montgomery County and part of St. Charles County.

Jeff Porter, the former mayor of Montgomery City, is the Republican nominee. Attorney Joseph Widner, also from Montgomery County, is the Democratic nominee.

State House Rep., 63rd District

Incumbent Rep. Bryan Spencer is seeking re-election as a Republican to the Missouri House for the 63rd District, which includes Wright City, Innsbrook, Foristell and Wentzville.

Spencer is challenged by Democrat Janet Kester, a scientist whose late husband, Ian, was a math teacher at Wright City High School. Also competing for the seat is Libertarian Carl-Herman Freese.

Presiding County Commissioner

The presiding commissioner leads the three-person Warren County Commission, which controls the county government.

Newcomer Joe Gildehaus of Marthasville is the Republican nominee, after defeating incumbent Roger Mauzy in the August primary elections. Also seeking the office is fellow Marthasville resident David Hubbard, a Marine Corps veteran running as a Democrat.

Unopposed races

A number of Warren County elected offices are listed on the ballot but only have a single candidate running unopposed. Those offices are for three circuit court judges, clerk of the circuit court, clerk of the county commission, recorder of deeds, prosecuting attorney, collector of revenue and treasurer.