Tuesday’s elections in the KC area include streetcar and minimum wage questions

Tuesday is Election Day in cities on the Missouri side of the Kansas City area.

While it’s a low-profile summer election, voters will decide important issues, including rail transit, minimum wage and tax questions. Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

This is the first election in which Missouri’s new photo voter ID law is in effect. The law requires voters to show a photo ID at the polls to cast a ballot. But registered voters without a photo ID can still provide a secondary form of identification, such as a paycheck or bank statement, and sign a statement attesting to their identity. Registered voters with no form of identification may cast a provisional ballot.

Voting rights advocates have established a hotline for any voter who has a question or encounters problems at the polls. The hotline is 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).

More information is at http://www.advancementproject.org/resources/entry/voting-in-missouri-under-the-new-voter-id-law.

In Kansas City, three questions are on the ballot, each placed by petition initiative, not sponsored by city government.

Question 1 is from streetcar opponents, who believe streetcars are a waste of money. This ballot measure would prohibit Kansas City municipal government from planning for or implementing any fixed rail transit system without a citywide vote of approval.

Question 2 is a petition initiative from transit activist Clay Chastain. It seeks a  3/8 -cent sales tax increase for 25 years to help pay the costs of a rapid rail and electric bus system.

Question 3 is another petition initiative seeking a gradual increase in Kansas City’s local minimum wage, to $15 per hour by 2022. However, a new state law preempts such a local increase, so there’s a serious legal question about whether this could ever be implemented, even with voter approval.

Other ballot measures include a quarter-cent sales tax increase in Clay County to establish a countywide children’s services fund for youths age 19 and younger. And both Independence and Grandview are seeking renewals of half-cent sales taxes in those cities.

This story was originally published August 7, 2017 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Tuesday’s elections in the KC area include streetcar and minimum wage questions."