Several key issues, races join presidential choice on ballots

The highlights of what’s at stake in today’s elections:

President: President Bush and Democratic Sen. John Kerry are on the ballot in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Independent Ralph Nader is on the ballot in 34 states and the District of Columbia; he is listed as a write-in candidate in Texas.

Senate: Voters in 34 states, including Washington, will choose a senator for a six-year term, with 19 Democratic seats and 15 Republican seats at stake. Open Democratic seats were in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina. Open Republican seats were in Colorado, Illinois and Oklahoma. Currently, Republicans have the majority, 51-48, with one Democratic-leaning independent.

House: All 435 House seats are up for election. Republicans hold 227 seats, Democrats 205, with one Democratic-leaning independent and two vacancies in Republican-held seats.

Governors: Governorships are at stake in 11 states, including Washington. Democrats hold three – Delaware, Indiana and North Carolina. Republicans hold three – North Dakota, New Hampshire and Vermont. In Missouri, Montana, Utah, Washington and West Virginia the current governor is not seeking re-election.

Legislatures: About 5,800 seats – 80 percent of the national total – are up for grabs in 44 states.

Propositions: Some notable ballot measures being decided include whether to allow California to devote $3 billion for stem-cell research. Several states have propositions dealing with marriage being defined as between a man and a woman, including Arkansas, Georgia, Michigan, Montana and Ohio.

Voters in Colorado will decide how the Electoral College will award the state’s nine electoral votes – deciding whether the votes will all go to the candidate who comes in first or whether they will be apportioned according to popular vote. If the initiative passes, it will apply to the 2004 election.

An issue on the West Virginia ballot is whether lawmakers can allocate taxes or sell bonds to pay bonuses to veterans of Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Voters in Florida will vote on whether to limit privacy rights of girls under 18, a prelude to any future law requiring parents be told when minor daughters seek abortions.