St. Louis County's Prop N will shape smoking policy for the region: Published 5:30 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 29 - Proposition N, the proposed St. Louis County ban on smoking in public places, is probably the hottest item on the November ballot, one with a potentially great regional impact. Because the city of St. Louis has made its smoking ban contingent on the county's passing one, county voters may have the definitive say on the smoking ban issue for much of the region.

Prop E-911 would upgrade disaster response, suporters say: Prop E-911, on St. Louis County's Nov. 3 ballot, is a one-tenth of 1 percent sales tax to upgrade the county's emergency preparedness response. It is expected to raise $16 million a year. Right now, St. Louis County is getting by with a hodgepodge of different radio systems, what County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch has called an "outdated, antiquated and dangerous" arrangement.

What if they gave an election and nobody came?: Rarely are major November elections held in an off-year, when no congressional or statewide offices share the ballot and draw in voters. That's one reason the success rate for ballot measures during off-year votes isn't good. Low turnouts are often dangerous, mostly drawing opponents, and that has supporters of the St. Louis County smoking ban and E-911 ballot issue worrying how to get their allies to the polls.