Boone County voters turned out early in record numbers for this year’s primary election, which features redrawn congressional districts, two major state amendments and a special election for a vacant seat on the Columbia City Council.
The Boone County Clerk received more than 7,500 ballots ahead of Tuesday’s primary election, the most ahead of a primary election in the county’s history.
Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said in an email that just over 1,000 mail-in absentee ballots were cast and 6,523 were recorded from early walk-in voting, only lower than previous presidential elections.
“We’ve exceeded (this year’s early turnout total) during the presidential election in November 2020 and November 2024, but it’s certainly higher than any primary turnout,” the email read.
Voters who have not already cast ballots will have from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to make their decision. Voters can cast their ballot at their assigned polling place, which they can look up on the Boone County Clerk’s website, or at a central polling place in Boone County.
The central polling places are: Boone County Government Center, 801 E. Walnut St.; Friendship Baptist Church, 1707 Smiley Lane; Rock Bridge Church of God, 3515 Valencia Drive.
Listed below are quick summaries of the issues and candidates that voters will be deciding on.
Amendment 1
Voters will be asked whether they want to continue the state’s one-tenth of one percent sales and use tax used for soil and water conservation, state parks and historic sites for the next 10 years. The tax has been in place for 42 years.
Amendment 2
Passing Amendment 2 would require all charter counties, including Jackson County, to have an election for county assessor. Jackson County is the only charter county in Missouri that doesn’t hold elections for the position.
Passing the amendment would also require assessors in all charter counties to comply with any training requirements established by general law.
Amendment 4
Voters will be asked whether they want to require a majority of voters in each congressional district to approve an initiative petition that amends the constitution.
Passing Amendment 4 would replace the current structure, which requires a simple statewide majority.
Amendment 5
Passing Amendment 5 will give lawmakers the power to increase sales taxes on any goods or services in order to eliminate the state’s individual income tax.
Columbia City Council
Three candidates are running to fill the Columbia City Council Fourth Ward seat left vacant after Nick Foster resigned in April.
Dave Sorrell most recently served as the city’s utilities director for five years and retired last year after working for the city in a series of positions for 24 years. His prior roles across the Public Works Department included civil engineer, utility manager and engineering manager.
Ryan King is a member of Columbia’s Housing and Community Development Commission. King has over a decade of legal experience as an attorney in social services and is a judge advocate in the Army Reserve.
Sharon Jones is the chair of Columbia’s Planning and Zoning Commission. A licensed attorney, Jones graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law in 2012. She founded the Jones Advocacy Group in 2019, which aims to promote government transparency and accountability, according to its website.
Proposition 1
The city of Columbia is asking residents whether to implement a 1% sales tax to generate an estimated $38 million a year for police and fire services. City projections say the tax would allow the city to hire an additional 42 firefighters and 50 police officers by 2031.
U.S. House Districts 3 and 5
Rep. Bob Onder is seeking his first reelection as he faces one challenger, John G Fraser, in the Republican primary. The 3rd Congressional District was redrawn by the legislature last year to extend northward, encompassing most of Columbia. Across the aisle, three Democrats are running to try to turn the seat in November.
State Sen. Rick Brattin and former Boone County Clerk Taylor Burks are among six Republican candidates running in the redrawn 5th District to challenge Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver in November. Cleaver is running unopposed in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
Boone County Auditor
Boone County Auditor Kyle Rieman faces a challenge from Allen Bel-Long. Rieman has held the position since January 2023.
With no other political parties nominating candidates, the winner between the two Democratic candidates on Tuesday will hold office beginning with the term in January.
Associate Circuit Judge Division 9
Democratic Party voters will decide on Tuesday whether Bill Ellis and Spencer S. Smith will challenge Republican candidate James Egan in the Nov. 3 general election. The Division 9 position is open after Associate Circuit Judge Tracy Gonzalez announced she is retiring.
