Welcome to your home for local November 2012 election news for the City of Hazelwood!

- - - Updated at 1:33 a.m. - - -

Gina Walsh deafeats Jaqueline Thomas for the State Senate District 13 seat.

"Yesterday was a victory for Missouri’s working families in North St. Louis County," Walsh said on her election site. " A tremendous testament to middle class families, seniors and veterans, educators, all the people of North County.

"This is the way elections are supposed to be decided, by the people."

- - - Updated at 1:32 a.m. - - -

Bill Otto defeats Eugene Dokes by a close margine for the State Representative District 70 seat.

"With a 4 point margin we can declare this a victory!" he said on his Facebook page.

- - - Updated at 1:31 a.m. - - -

Margo McNeil defeats Glen Lindemann for the State Representative District 69 seat.

- - - Updated at 1:31 a.m. - - -

Kathleen Burkett retains her spot as St. Louis County Councilwoman for District 2 defeating Oren Walton.

- - - Updated at 11:15 p.m. - - - 

Incumbent Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced that Republican challenger Dave Spence called to concede the race.

“Today, people at the ballots put Missouri’s business above the political squabbling,” Nixon told a room packed with supporters at The Pageant on the Loop.

- - - Updated at 10:40 p.m. - - - 

President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden were re-elected Tuesday night, defeating Republican challenger Mitt Romney and his vice-presidential running mate Rep. Paul Ryan. 

NBC News called the presidential election for Obama around 11:15 EST. The president sent a message on Twitter at 10:14 saying simply, "This happened because of you. Thank you."

- - - Updated at 7:45 p.m. - - -

The polls have closed. Stay tuned as we bring results in the widget above. Voting went smoothly in Hazelwood as no issues have been reported from city officials or the Hazelwood Police Department.

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Patch will be visiting area polling places, talking to voters and checking to see if there's anything amiss at the polls. Here in Hazleowod, editors will be meeting up with many of the candidates on the ballot to get their last-minute impressions of things.

But the most important part of this story is YOU. All day on Nov. 6, we want to know: What were lines like at your polling place? What number were you in line? What kind of activity was there outside? What was important in determining your vote? Does your family have a fun election day ritual, or a unique story of a first-time or long-time voter? Let me know: Hazelwood@patch.com

In the evening, we'll be at various campaign watch parties as the results come in and the reaction flows in. Up-to-the-minute numbers will automatically be updated in the chart above. Check back with Hazelwood Patch for constant updates as they become available.

You'll have plenty of opportunities to comment on Patch stories. You can load your election day photo in our Pics & Clips Gallery. Tweet us a photo or thoughts @HazelwoodPatch or talk to us on Facebook.com/HazelwoodPatch. You can also follow us on Instagram, at HazelwoodPatch. 

Preparing for Election Day

Where to Vote

Elections 2012: Find Your Polling Place in Hazelwood -  Locate your polling place in this article and find it on our interactive map.

There are misconceptions about voting so be in the know. Registered voters need to present one type of identification from this list:

• ID issued by the federal government, state of Missouri or a local election authority. This could include a drivers' license or passport.
• ID issued by a Missouri public or private institution of higher education, including a university, college, vocational or technical school.
• A copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or other government document that contains the name and address of the voter.
• Driver's license or state identification card issued by another state.

Even if you do not have one of these types of identification, you may still cast a ballot if two supervising election judges—one from each major political party—attest they know you.

Weather

On Election Day, the weather should be cool, much like the weather we've been experiencing all week. The high is 54 degrees, and the low is 38 degrees, according to Weatherbug.

Here's the forcast: Partly sunny early in the morning then becoming mostly cloudy in the late morning and early afternoon then becoming partly cloudy late in the afternoon. High in the mid 50s. Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming clear. Low in the mid 30s to lower 40s. 

More Stories

Did Facebook Change the Way You'll Vote? - Did Facebook help you decide how to vote? Or were the political status updates just noise in the background? 

Whose Political Ad Are You Happy to See Disappear? - Studies show this has bene the most negative campaigning year ever.

STL #MO Election: Whom to Follow on Twitter - Are you on Twitter? Follow us at @HazelwoodPatch, and follow our election coverage with #patchpolitics.

St. Louis County Board of Elections Well Prepared for General Election - We'll be keeping an eye out for any reports of fraud.

Election 2012: How Much Have Your Neighbors Given to Obama and Romney? - Check out our interactive database.

Should St. Louis' Police Department Be Run Locally? - Proposition A is a Misouri-wide measure that only affects St. Louis City. Weird.

Yes on Raising Tobacco Taxes, as Prop B Asks? - This story about Proposition B got more than 160 comments!

Police Beef Up Secuiry At Some St. Louis County Polling Places - With high voter turnout expected, police are taking extra precautions.

The Races

We'll be monitoring national and statewide races—including the presidential election—in a seperate article. (Don't worry, we'll post it here ASAP.)

Here, Patch will focus on the races and issues directly affecting Hazelwood. For more, check out our Hazelwood Patch Voters' Guide.

Links for the race stories will go live at 6 a.m. Tuesday. As polls close, each story (including this one in the table above) will be constantly updated to reflect the latest voting numbers.

St. Louis County Council

2nd District Race - Kathleen Kelly Burkett (D) vs. Oren Walton (R)

Missouri House of Representatives

69th District - Margo McNeil (D) vs. Glen Lindemann (R)

70th District - Bill Otto (D) vs. Eugene Dokes (R)

Missouri Senate

Thirteenth District - Gina Walsh (D) vs. Jacquelyn Thomas (R)

Ballot Issues

There are four statewide ballot initiatives every Missourian will vote on. Find them here: Missouri Statewide Ballot Measures: What You Need To Know

Locally we'll focus on:

Proposition S - A tax increase for the Special School District

Proposition L - A tax increase for St. Louis County Libraries