When county residents head to the polls Tuesday, they will view ballots full of candidates for statewide races.
On the local side, however, only a few races are contested.
One of those is for the Republican nomination for the newly configured 63rd District House of Representative seat and the other for a committeeman to represent the North Hickory Grove township.
The seven elected county positions that are up for election this year are uncontested as the incumbents were the only candidates to file.
Voters will still have plenty of candidates to choose from at the state level.
The Republican ballot has contested races for U.S. senator, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and attorney general. Meanwhile, Democrats will be voting for a candidate for governor, lieutenant governor and secretary of state.
The winners will meet in the Nov. 6 general election.
County Clerk Barb Daly, who expects voter turnout to be low, added she doesn’t feel it will top 20 percent.
“I think that has to do with no local races,” she said.
Polls will be open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Absentee ballots can be filled out up to 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 6, at the county clerk’s office in Warrenton. The clerk’s office will be open this Saturday, Aug. 4, from 8 a.m.-noon to accommodate absentee voters.
Ballots can also be cast at the clerk’s office from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on weekdays for voters who will be absent on Election Day or for other reasons.
Daly reminds voters that some form of identification must be shown when they vote. The most popular are a driver’s license or voter registration card.
Next week’s primary election will mark the first time the votes are counted at the new administration building, located along South Highway 47 in Warrenton.
She said the public can view the results in the emergency operations center training room, located in the lower level of the facility. Results will also be posted on the county’s website (warrencountymo.org.).
“We’re hoping to do a trial run for November,” said Daly, referring to the general election that will be highlighted by the presidential race. “We hope it works or we can work out the bugs.”
Contested Races
The highest-profile local race will be for the Republican nomination in the new 63rd District, which covers Wright City, nearly all of Innsbrook and northwestern St. Charles County.
That race pits Bryan Spencer, a teacher in the Francis Howell School District, against Chris Gard, a Wentzville alderman.
The winner will face Wright City Democrat Bill Stinson in November. Stinson is unopposed in next week’s primary.
The other contested race is for North Hickory Grove committeeman. The two candidates running are Republicans Martin Craft and Fred Heberer.
No Opposition
In addition to the county races, next week’s August primary will feature uncontested races for 12th Judicial Circuit judge and the 42nd District House seat.
Warren County Associate Judge Wes Dalton, a Republican, was the only candidate to file for circuit judge. The seat is currently held by Keith Sutherland, who is retiring.
State Rep. Bart Korman, a Republican from High Hill, is running unopposed for the 42nd District House seat. He is the lone candidate to file. The new district, slightly altered from the current 99th District that Korman represents, encompasses all of Montgomery County, a large portion of Warren County and extends into southwestern St. Charles County.
Elsewhere, no county races will be contested this year. The current officeholders are Northern District Commissioner Dan Hampson, Southern District Commissioner Hubie Kluesner, Sheriff Kevin Harrison, Assessor Wendy Nordwald, Public Administrator Jeff Hoelscher, Coroner Roger Mauzy and Surveyor Bob Lewis.
