Missouri local trial court judicial elections, 2016
Missouri held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. In Missouri, some circuit courts use partisan elections and some use retention elections, where voters choose either to retain or not to retain a judge. Judges running for retention must receive a majority of favorable votes in order to stay on the bench. Those in partisan races first ran in the primary election on August 2, 2016. The filing deadline for those wishing to run in the primary was March 29, 2016. Judges running in a retention election only appear on the general election ballot. They had to file by August 23, 2016.[1]
Seventeen seats were up for election in the circuits where judges are chosen through partisan elections. The primary elections left most of the partisan circuit court races with an unopposed candidate heading into the general election. Out of the 19 seats up for partisan election, only six of them included both a Democratic and a Republican candidate. Three Democratic incumbents were defeated by Republican challengers: Nathan B. Stewart, Patricia A. Riehl, and Travis Partney. Forty-five judges ran for retention. Only one judge, Dale W. Hood, was not retained by voters. Read more about judicial selection in Missouri below.For information on 2016 state appellate court elections in Missouri, click here.
Elections
General
 |
Poll opening and closing times |
Circuit 1
☑ Gary Dial (i) 
Circuit 5, Division 2
Note: Incumbent Weldon Judah did not file for re-election.
☐ Gary L. Myers
☑ David Bolander 
Circuit 11, Division 2
Note: Incumbent Nancy L. Schneider did not file for re-election.
☑ Deborah Alessi
Circuit 11, Associate Judge
Circuit 13, Division 2
Note: Harris was appointed when incumbent Gary Oxenhandler retired in April 2016.
☑ Jeff Harris (i)
Circuit 17, Division 2
☑ R. Michael Wagner (i)
Circuit 20, Division 2
☐ David L. Hoven
☑ Ike Lamke (i)
Circuit 23, Division 1
Note: Incumbent Robert G. Wilkins did not file for re-election.
☐ Joseph Rathert
☑ Carl "Wes" Yates
Circuit 23, Division 3
☐ Nathan B. Stewart (i)
☑ Dianna Bartels
Circuit 23, Division 5
☐ Patricia A. Riehl (i)
☑ Vic Melenbrink
Circuit 23, Associate Judge
☑ Katherine Hardy Senkel
☐ Travis Partney (i)
Circuit 24, Division 2
☑ Wendy L. Wexler Horn (i)
Circuit 24, Associate judge, Division 3
☑ Joe Goff Jr. (i) [2]
Circuit 25, Division 2
☑ John Beger (i)
Circuit 26, Division 2
☑ Kenneth M. Hayden (i)
Circuit 28, Division 1
Note: Incumbent James R. Bickel did not file for re-election.
☑ David Munton
Circuit 29, Division 2
Note: Incumbent David Dally did not file for re-election.
☑ Dean G. Dankelson
Circuit 38, Division 2
Note: This was a newly-created judgeship.[3]
☑ Jennifer Growcock
Circuit 46
Note: This is a newly-created circuit court.[4]
☑ Tony Williams
Retention
Circuit 6, Division 1
Circuit 6, Division 3, Associate Judge
Circuit 6, Division 4, Associate Judge
Circuit 6, Division 5, Associate Judge
Circuit 7, Division 1
Circuit 7, Division 3
Circuit 7, Division 7, Associate Judge
Circuit 16, Division 1
Circuit 16, Division 3
Circuit 16, Division 6
Circuit 16, Division 7
Circuit 16, Division 8
Circuit 16, Division 9
Circuit 16, Division 11
Circuit 16, Division 12
Circuit 16, Division 26, Associate Judge
Circuit 16, Division 28, Associate Judge
Circuit 16, Division 29, Associate Judge
Circuit 16, Division 32, Associate Judge
Circuit 21, Division 3
Circuit 21, Division 7
Circuit 21, Division 11
Circuit 21, Division 13
Circuit 21, Division 19
Circuit 21, Division 32, Associate Judge
Circuit 21, Division 34, Associate Judge
Circuit 21, Division 35, Associate Judge
Circuit 21, Division 37, Associate Judge
Circuit 21, Division 42, Associate Judge
Circuit 22, Division 1
Circuit 22, Division 5
Circuit 22, Division 6
Circuit 22, Division 11
Circuit 22, Division 12
Circuit 22, Division 15
Circuit 22, Division 16
Circuit 22, Division 17
Circuit 22, Division 22
Circuit 22, Division 30
Circuit 22, Division 14, Associate Judge
Circuit 22, Division 24, Associate Judge
Circuit 22, Division 26, Associate Judge
Circuit 31, Division 3
Circuit 31, Division 23, Associate Judge
Circuit 31, Division 26, Associate Judge
Opposed primary races
Circuit 5, Division 2
Note: Incumbent Weldon Judah did not file for re-election.
Democratic primary
☐ Jackie Ross
☑ Gary L. Myers
Republican primary
☑ David Bolander
☐ Steve Stevenson
Circuit 11, Division 2
Note: Incumbent Nancy L. Schneider did not file for re-election.
Republican primary
☑ Deborah Alessi
☐ Grant C. Gorman
Circuit 11, Associate Judge
Republican primary
☐ Michael Fagras
☑ Rebeca McKelvey
Circuit 13, Division 2
Note: Harris was appointed when incumbent Gary Oxenhandler retired in April 2016.
Democratic primary
☐ Deborah Daniels
☑ Jeff Harris (i)
Circuit 23, Associate Judge
Republican primary
☐ Tony Dorsett
☐ Trisha Stefanski
☑ Katherine Hardy Senkel
Circuit 29, Division 2
Note: Incumbent David Dally did not file for re-election.
Republican primary
☑ Dean G. Dankelson
☐ Stephen P. Carlton
Circuit 38, Division 2
Note: This was a newly-created judgeship.[5]
Republican primary
☐ Kevin Elmer
☑ Jennifer Growcock
☐ Tony Brown
Results
| Missouri Circuit 5, Division 2, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Gary L. Myers |
53.57% | 2,754 |
| Jackie Ross | 46.43% | 2,387 |
| Total Votes | 5,141 | |
| Source: Missouri Secretary of State, "Official Election Results," August 25, 2016 | ||
| Missouri Circuit 5, Division 2, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| David Bolander |
59.90% | 6,537 |
| Steve Stevenson | 40.10% | 4,376 |
| Total Votes | 10,913 | |
| Source: Missouri Secretary of State, "Official Election Results," August 25, 2016 | ||
| Missouri Circuit 11, Division 2, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Deborah Alessi |
60.29% | 27,002 |
| Grant C. Gorman | 39.71% | 17,788 |
| Total Votes | 44,790 | |
| Source: Missouri Secretary of State, "Official Election Results," August 25, 2016 | ||
| Missouri Circuit 11, Associate Judge, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Rebeca McKelvey |
54.54% | 24,740 |
| Michael Fagras | 45.46% | 20,620 |
| Total Votes | 45,360 | |
| Source: St. Charles County, Missouri, "Official Primary Results," August 12, 2016 | ||
| Missouri Circuit 13, Division 2, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jeff Harris Incumbent |
50.62% | 7,174 |
| Deborah Daniels | 49.38% | 6,999 |
| Total Votes | 14,173 | |
| Source: Missouri Secretary of State, "Official Election Results," August 25, 2016 | ||
| Missouri Circuit 23, Associate Judge, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Katherine Hardy Senkel |
34.29% | 7,816 |
| Tony Dorsett | 33.96% | 7,740 |
| Trisha Stefanski | 31.74% | 7,235 |
| Total Votes | 22,791 | |
| Source: Jefferson County, Missouri, "Official Primary Results," August 2, 2016 | ||
| Missouri Circuit 29, Division 2, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Dean G. Dankelson |
50.89% | 7,103 |
| Stephen P. Carlton | 49.11% | 6,854 |
| Total Votes | 13,957 | |
| Source: Missouri Secretary of State, "Official Election Results," August 25, 2016 | ||
| Missouri Circuit 38, Division 2, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jennifer Growcock |
58.66% | 8,189 |
| Kevin Elmer | 30.27% | 4,226 |
| Tony Brown | 11.07% | 1,545 |
| Total Votes | 13,960 | |
| Source: Missouri Secretary of State, "Official Election Results," August 25, 2016 | ||
Circuit map
Judicial evaluations
Every two years, the Missouri Bar Association evaluates judges that are running for retention. In these evaluations, 21 members of the Judicial Performance Evaluation Committees vote whether the judge meets, or does not meet, overall judicial performance standards. For 40 of the 45 circuit court judges running for retention in 2016, 100 percent of the committee voted that they met judicial performance standards. Five judges had at least one committee member vote that they did not meet judicial performance standards.[6] Learn more about the review committee, review process, and review criteria on the Your Missouri Judges website.
The following judges received positive votes from 100 percent of committee members (21 out of 21):
- Shane T. Alexander
- Louis Angles
- K. Elizabeth Davis
- Jason R. Brown
- Ron Carrier
- Douglas Andrew Hosmer
- S. Margene Burnett
- David M. Byrn
- Joel Fahnestock May
- Jeffrey C. Keal
- Sandra C. Midkiff
- Jalilah Otto
- Jennifer M. Phillips
- Wesley Brent Powell
- Janette Kay Rodecap
- Robert L. Trout
- J. Dale Youngs
- Dennis C. Eckold
- Thomas C. Fincham
- W. Ann Hansbrough
- Abe Shafer V
- Thomas C. Clark II
- Nicole Colbert-Botchway
- Thomas J. Frawley
- Philip D. Heagney
- Bryan L. Hettenbach
- David C. Mason
- Christopher McGraugh
- Michael K. Mullen
- Mark H. Neill
- Dennis M. Schaumann
- Calea Stovall-Reid
- James E. Sullivan
- Robin Ransom Vannoy
- John N. Borbonus
- John R. Essner
- Sandra Farragut-Hemphill
- Robert Heggie
- Barbara W. Wallace
- Carolyn C. Whittington
The following judges received positive votes from 95 percent of committee members (20 out of 21):
The following judges received positive votes from 81 percent of committee members (17 out of 21):
The following judges received positive votes from 5 percent of committee members (1 out of 21):
Election rules
Trial judges who were elected in partisan elections may seek re-election at the end of their terms. They must run as a Democrat, Republican, or independent. Partisan elections are used to select the majority of Missouri's judges. Judges first run in a party primary in August, with the winner of each primary moving on to the general election.[7][8][9]
Primary election
The primary election occurs on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in August of even-numbered years.
General election
The general election occurs on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years.[10]
Judicial selection method
Circuit courts: elected
- See also: Partisan elections
The 141 judges of the Missouri Circuit Courts are elected to six-year terms in partisan elections, except in the cities of Springfield, St. Louis, and Kansas City. At the end of their terms, judges must face re-election.[11]
The chief judge of each court is elected by the circuit and associate judges from among the sitting circuit judges.[11]
Circuit courts: appointed
- See also: Partisan elections
The judges of the Missouri Circuit Courts in Clay, Greene, Jackson, Platte, and St. Louis counties and the city of St. Louis are appointed by the governor with the help of a judicial selection commission.[12]
The chief judge of each court is elected by the circuit and associate judges from among the sitting circuit judges.[11]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:
- a U.S. citizen for at least 10 years;
- a qualified state voter for at least three years;
- a resident of the circuit for at least one year;
- licensed to practice law in the state; and
- at least 30 years old.[11]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Missouri judicial election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "2016 Missouri Election Calendar," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ Daily Journal Online, "County filings end for the August election," March 30, 2016
- ↑ KY3, "3rd candidate files for new judgeship in Christian County," February 23, 2016
- ↑ Office of Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, "Gov. Nixon signs Senate Bill 585, creating new judicial circuit in southwest Missouri," February 18, 2016
- ↑ KY3, "3rd candidate files for new judgeship in Christian County," February 23, 2016
- ↑ Your Missouri Judges, "Yearly Archive: 2016," accessed October 20, 2016
- ↑ Your Missouri Courts, "Meet your Missouri judges," accessed April 26, 2014
- ↑ Missouri General Assembly, "Section 115.121," August 28, 2013
- ↑ Show-Me Courts, "Types of elections in Missouri," accessed April 26, 2014
- ↑ Missouri General Assembly, "Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 115.121," accessed August 1, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Missouri," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Your Missouri Judges, "Missouri Judges: The Non-Partisan Court Plan," accessed March 18, 2019
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Missouri, Western District of Missouri
State courts:
Missouri Supreme Court • Missouri Court of Appeals • Missouri Circuit Courts • Missouri Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Missouri • Missouri judicial elections • Judicial selection in Missouri
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