Voters and candidates in school board, city council and other municipal races will face an unnecessay new challege in the coming elections, and another unnecessary and divisive change is proposed by Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft. People who know how to run elections, including Ray County Clerk Glenda Powell and state Rep. Peggy McGaugh, a former Carroll County clerk, are not fans of the change in election dates approved by the General Assembly. Next month, candidates will have only three weeks, instead of five, to decide whether to sign up. Filing starts at 8 a.m. Dec. 7, filing ends at 5 p.m. Dec. 28 and the election occurs April 5. The new dates reduce filing times by two weeks. “Personally, I think it was a bad idea,” Powell said, because candidates have less time to sign up, as the number of weeks has been cut and because Christmas break is within the filing period. The change is unlikely to save money, but is likely to create an additional burden – in the form of a paperwork…