Tagged: election 2012

Adair County residents will vote for a Second District County Commissioner Tuesday.

Larry Lee Smith is challenging the incumbent Mark Thompson in the election for Adair County Second District Commissioner.

Smith, who’s a farmer, said he decided to run for the position because he is concerned with road and bridge maintenance in Adair County.

“I don’t like to hear cutbacks on our road and bridge employees and on an hourly basis and so I don’t know what happened to their budget, how they failed to get something in?" Smith said. "I just want to scan that budget.”

KBIA’s Kristofor Husted interviews Sen. Claire McCaskill, who is challenging Rep. Todd Akin to keep her seat in the U.S. Senate in the November 6 election.

In the interview (which took place before McCaskill’s mother died), the senator talks about the difference between her and Akin when it comes to women’s issues including equal pay for women and access to emergency contraception. She talks about what she would say to women who have backed Akin after his controversial comment on pregnancy and rape. McCaskill also discusses her plan to make sure small business continues to grow in the state and her stance on keeping federal loans and grants available to students who depend on them.

McCaskill spoke outside a St. Louis County grade school Wednesday about the importance of the school lunch program, noting that Republican opponent Todd Akin was one of just five lawmakers to oppose funding. But she also used the time to talk about her mother, who passed away earlier this week.

It was Claire McCaskill’s first public appearance since the passing of her mother, Betty Anne Ward McCaskill.

In previous campaigns, the Senator would often bring her mother up on the stump.

Claire McCaskill said it’s been a “tumultuous time.”

Missouri election officials are predicting that 72 percent of the state's registered voters will cast ballots in the Nov. 6 election.

If it's borne out, the turnout predicted Tuesday by the secretary of state's office would be the highest in Missouri in quite some time.

More than 69 percent of Missouri voters cast ballots in the 2008 presidential election. The 2000 and 2004 elections both saw smaller turnouts than that.

A 72 percent turnout would equate to more than 3 million of Missouri's nearly 4.2 million registered voters casting ballots.