KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gamblers, educators and economic development officials were waiting to see whether Missourians wanted to rewrite the state’s unique restrictions on casinos.
Proposition A, called “Schools First Elementary and Secondary Education Funding Initiative,” was among five statewide ballot measures before Missouri voters on Tuesday. If approved, it would repeal the nation’s only loss limit at casinos, cap the licensing of new casinos and raise taxes on existing casinos to direct more money to public education.
Voters agreed to amend the Missouri Constitution to make English the state’s official language for all government proceedings. With 26 percent of the vote in, the amendment had 89 percent of the vote.
Amendment 1 prohibits using any other language in all government meetings, as well as on ballots, driver’s license exams and other documents.
All four other statewide ballot measures were passing in early returns Tuesday.
Proposition A had a narrow 53 percent of the vote with 26 percent of the precincts reporting.
Supporters of the gambling initiative — funded almost entirely by the owners of Missouri’s casinos — argued that it would raise more than $100 million a year in additional revenue for schools, help fund local services, and protect thousands of jobs in counties where casinos operate.
Opponents contended the measure was designed mostly to help the state’s current casinos increase profits and reduce competition from new casinos. They also said many school districts would receive little, if any, money from casino taxes.
Also on the ballot were:
— Proposition C, the Missouri Clean Energy Initiative, which would require the state’s three electric utilities to get 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2021. It would require that any rate increase not exceed 1 percent. With 26 percent of the votes in, the proposition had 63 percent of the vote.
— Proposition B, which would create a Quality Home Health Care Council to oversee and recommend changes in working conditions for home health care workers. It also would allow the workers to unionize, but ban them from striking. It had 73 percent of the vote with 26 percent of the precincts reporting.
— Another amendment that would change the language in the constitution involving the awarding of state grants and loans for local storm water projects. It had 55 percent of the vote in early returns.
Campaigns and Politics
<img src=" http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/election.gif " Border=0> 9:56 p.m. Five statewide issues on Missouri ballot
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Missouri voters endorse state Proposition C
Missouri voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a key provision of President Barack Obama’s health care law, sending a clear message of discontent to Washington and Democrats less than 100 days before the midterm elections. With about 70 percent of the vote counted late Tuesday, nearly three-quarters of voters had supported the measure.
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Neosho voters say ‘no’ to property tax
A proposal to levy a property tax to help bail the city of Neosho out of its financial meltdown failed to muster even 40 percent approval from voters in Tuesday’s election.
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Jasper County choose incumbents for posts
Voters in Jasper County on Tuesday tabbed the incumbents for two positions, Linda Williams as circuit clerk and John Bartosh for the Republican nomination as presiding commissioner.
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Pittsburg voters reject sales tax increase
A proposed quarter-cent city sales tax increase in Pittsburg for street repairs was defeated Tuesday by voters, 1,243 to 1,031. The margin was 55 percent “no” votes to 45 percent “yes” votes. The totals are based on complete, but unofficial, returns from the Crawford County clerk’s office.
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Ruestman receives GOP nod; Krueger prevails in circuit clerk bid
Republicans in Newton County on Tuesday overwhelmingly selected a state lawmaker to be their nominee for presiding county commissioner, according to complete but unofficial returns. Current state Rep. Marilyn Ruestman, of Joplin, with a total of 6,125 votes, led a field of four GOP hopefuls.
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Bill White beats Shelly Dreyer for nomination
An intense and costly battle for the Republican nomination for Missouri’s 129th District House seat concluded Tuesday with a lopsided victory for William “Bill” White, who is seeking to fill the seat being vacated by Ron Richard.
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Moran holds lead in tight Kansas race
Western Kansas U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran held the lead over Todd Tiahrt late Tuesday night in a contentious battle for the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat from Kansas.
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Calloway defeats Titterington in 3rd District GOP race
Terry Calloway defeated Chad Titterington Tuesday in the Republican primary race for the 3rd District seat of the Kansas House of Representatives.
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Former legislator leads race for Senate seat
A former legislator and sheriff from the Bolivar area had a wide lead for the Republican nomination for the Missouri Senate District 28 seat, according to incomplete returns Tuesday night. Mike Parson, 54, of Bolivar, the former state representative in House District 133, was the leader with 12,723 votes.
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Long, Eckersley win nods in 7th district
Billy Long, a Springfield auctioneer, real estate salesman and former radio talk show host, won the Republican nomination for Congress from Missouri’s 7th District on Tuesday, while the Democratic nod went to Scott Eckersley, an attorney from Kimberling City who at one time worked for former GOP Gov. Matt Blunt.
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