Missouri local trial court judicial elections, 2018

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2018
Trial court elections

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Missouri held general elections for local judicial offices on November 6, 2018. Circuit court judges in the state are selected using both partisan and retention elections. Judges running in retention elections must receive a majority of favorable votes in order to stay on the bench. The primary election for partisan races took place on August 7, 2018. The filing deadline for candidates to run in the primary was March 27, 2018.[1]

Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of elections in America's 100 largest cities by population. This coverage extends to every office on the ballot for residents of these cities, including local trial court judges. In 2018, Ballotpedia covered the following local elections in this state:

  • Clay County, Missouri - County commissioner, county clerk, prosecuting attorney, county collector, recorder of deeds, county auditor, and local judgeships
  • Jackson County, Missouri - County executive, county legislator, and sheriff
  • Platte County, Missouri - County commissioner, county clerk, prosecuting attorney, county collector, recorder of deeds, and county auditor
  • St. Louis, Missouri - Collector of revenue, license collector, recorder of deeds, community college board, and Ward 8 alderman (special election)

If the above list includes local trial court judgeships, click the links for more information about the elections. Click here to learn more about how the judges in this state are selected. Ballotpedia did not cover all local trial court judicial elections in this state in 2018. Please consider donating to Ballotpedia to help us expand our coverage of these elections.

For more information about the 2018 appellate court elections in the state, click here.

Election dates

  • March 27, 2018: Candidate filing deadline for primary election
  • August 7, 2018: Primary election
  • November 6, 2018: General election

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.[2][3][4]

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.[5]

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.[6]

The chief judge of each court is elected by the circuit and associate judges from among the sitting circuit judges.[6]

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.[7]

The chief judge of each court is elected by the circuit and associate judges from among the sitting circuit judges.[6]

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.[6]

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

There are no Pivot Counties in Missouri. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Missouri with 56.8 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 38.1 percent. In presidential elections between 1820 and 2016, Missouri voted Democratic 60 percent of the time and Republican 36 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Missouri voted Republican all five times.[8]

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Missouri. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[9][10]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 43 out of 163 state House districts in Missouri with an average margin of victory of 42.1 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 43 out of 163 state House districts in Missouri with an average margin of victory of 42.3 points. Clinton won two districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 120 out of 163 state House districts in Missouri with an average margin of victory of 28.3 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 120 out of 163 state House districts in Missouri with an average margin of victory of 39.8 points. Trump won four districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.

See also

Local courts Missouri Other local coverage
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External links

Footnotes