‘Elected officials’ aren’t always elected

by J Scott Christianson, Columbia Daily Tribune Columnist

When we go to the polls to cast our votes, we like to think we have the opportunity to cast a ballot for each office that is being filled in that election. However, that’s not always the case.

As it stands, there are hundreds of elected officials holding office in Missouri whom no voter has ever seen on a ballot. This is due to an exception in state law that allows certain governmental bodies to forgo an election if the number of candidates who file for the position is equal…