A Democracy With Everything but a Choice

This November, voters in rural Perry County, Mo., will face a ballot with candidates for a bevy of local offices: state senator, state representative and circuit judge; two county commissioners, sheriff and many more.

What they won’t face is a choice.

Each of the 17 down-ballot races in Perry County has only one candidate. Just south, Cape Girardeau County fares only slightly better: Three of 12 races have two candidates.

All the candidates in the uncontested races are Republicans. And in those few races where a Democrat also is on the ballot, Republican victories are foregone conclusions in a rural area where voters overwhelmingly favor the G.O.P.