The candidates who did not get my vote

 I probably shouldn't admit this, but for the first time in a long time I entered the polling place today and it felt like I was running an errand.

This was a November election, not a special election with only one issue on the ballot, but a general election and I couldn't manage to generate any excitement over it.

I presented my Jasper County voter ID card, signed in on the iPad (things have certainly changed in the four decades since I cast my first ballot), took my ballot and headed for the table, sat down, and began marking it.

When I was done, I had accomplished my main mission- I had cast a vote against Amendment 3. Nearly every educator in Missouri is against this, the Rex Sinquefield funded group that put the amendment on the ballot withdrew its support and still, it has a chance of passing.

I voted for candidates who do not have a chance to win and I voted for candidates I wanted to win, but was disappointed to see that no one was running against them.

I voted to retain judges whose names I had never seen before, figuring if I had not heard of them, they must be doing all right.

And then there were the ones who faced no opposition, but were not going to get my vote to pad their total.

I was not going to vote for Joplin R-8 School District attorney John Nicholas  who was unopposed for a judge position. He was the one who saw fit to interrupt KZRG reporter Joe Lancello's interview with board member Debbie Fort after a recent meeting because the media is only supposed to interview board president Annie Sharp. It is contrary to the First Amendment, it is not in board policy (and if it were, it would be illegal), so I figure if that is how much he knows about the law, he is not going to get my vote..

I haven't voted for Jasper County Collector Steve Holt since reporting by the Joplin Globe (it did investigative reporting in those days) and the Carthage Press on his latching on to more than $100,000 in fees that should have gone into the county coffers. It turned out to be unethical, but not illegal. The reporting changed the way things were done, but it never made a dent in Holt's re-election efforts and that took place in the 1990s.

And finally, I left the ballot blank in the race for State Senator. I have been writing about Ron Richard for years and invariably much of that writing has to do with the amount of money and gifts Richard has accepted from special interest and lobbyists.

Lately, he seems to have found a new sugar daddy in retired billionaire Rex Sinquefield. No way was I going to vote for Ron Richard.

I turned in my ballot and accepted my sticker, but never put it on.

I left the polling place not feeling too excited about having exercised my civic responsibility.

That being said, I am sure I will be back to normal by April- in time for those Joplin City Council and Joplin R-8 Board of Education races> it has not always been that way. Having choices certainly increases my enthusiasm for voting.