elections

In June, a Kansas City couple pleaded guilty to voter fraud in the 2010 Democratic primary. Even in a low-turnout primary for a state legislature seat, two votes would normally be a drop in a bucket. But in this race, John Joseph Rizzo defeated Will Royster by a margin of one vote. Rizzo went on to win the election and was re-elected to the seat in 2012. The couple voted in a district where they didn’t live and are Rizzo’s aunt and uncle, which further complicated the situation.

The campaign money's flowing in Missouri. Or could you say "gushing?"

On Thursday June 27, Attorney General Chris Koster, an early favorite to become the next governor of Missouri, picked up $25,000 from a Kansas City law firm and $12,500 more from an eastern Missouri labor union.

The day before, state Auditor Tom Schweich picked up $10,000 from a St. Louis area business owner.

The League of Women Voters  has a few goals it's pursuing-- more advance voting and online voter registration.

A national study of risk of corruption by the Center for Public Integrity docks Missouri for being one of only four states without any limits on campaign contributions.

Missouri's Secretary of State has now approved more than a dozen petitions related to the taxing of tobacco products.  But a lot fewer are likely to end up in circulation, and of those remaining, the aims may be very different. 

• Family Offers $10,000 Reward In Search For College Student
• Low Unemployment Ends Extended Unemployment Program In Kansas
• Students May Find It Difficult To Transfer To Accredited Districts
• Ag Takes A Back  Seat In Iowa

Shawnee Mission, Kansas – June 10th, noon, was the filing deadline for Kansans who wanted to run for office. Some 25 hopeful state legislators, U.S. representatives, even 2 U.S. Senate candidates got in just under the gun.

There are 7 candidates - 6 of them Republican - running for the 1st Congressional district in Western Kansas. 9 filed for the Senate seat vacated by Sam Brownback.

Brownback, who is running for Governor, filed just 10 days ago. His primary opponent, Joan Heffington, filed yesterday.

Kansas City – It's unclear how news of financial mismanagement at the Kansas GOP will affect the race for Secretary of State.

The Topeka Capitol Journal reported earlier this week that an FEC audit revealed the Kansas GOP inappropriately or illegally handled hundreds of thousands of dollars during 2007 and 2008.

Kris Kobach, now a candidate for Secretary of State, was the party chair during that time.

Kobach said he knew the issue is a distraction, but said he wasn't concerned it would hurt him politically.

By Dan Verbeck

Kansas City, MO – If anything goes seriously wrong with the election in Kansas City, the 'fixers' are mostly all together in one place. KCUR's Dan Verbeck has been there and has a report.

It looks almost like a movie set. The election board, police, fire, ambulance services have a cavernous room on the old Northeast side, converted into the city's emergency operations center; the word emergency' is removed for now. It's normally reserved for tornado, flood and mass injury.