FORTY PERCENT OF CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY VOTERS GO TO THE POOLS

JACKSON - Forty percent of Cape Girardeau County's 35,273 registered voters went to the polls Tuesday for school and municipal elections.

County Clerk Rodney Miller said that turnout was heaviest in the Cape Girardeau School District, where voters considered two tax levy proposals, and in the city of Jackson, where there was a hard-fought contest for mayor.

By 8:10 p.m. - 70 minutes after the polls had closed - all of the poll workers from the county's 37 precincts had reported to the county administration building in Jackson. Shortly after 9 p.m., all the results had been tabulated.

"I think everything went real smoothly here tonight in our counting process, and in the whole election today," said Miller, the county's chief election authority.

There were 280 absentee ballots cast for Tuesday's election, which was much higher than normal and an indicator to Miller that turnout was going to be high.

The closest race in Cape County was for the four-year term on the board of directors of the East County Fire District, where three candidates were separated by seven votes. Sharon R. Sticht won the seat with 130 votes, but Norman Goehman received 127 and Michael Frank 123.

With a variety of school board races, school bond issue proposals, and city races on the ballot, the first floor of the administration building was crowded with people as the first returns started coming in shortly after the polls closed.

As each precinct was tabulated, a computer printout of that precinct and a running total was posted on a bulletin board.

Several candidates arrived early, including Jackson Mayor Carlton Meyer, who watched as Alderman Paul Sander ended Meyer's 22-year career. Sander arrived about 8:15, when it was apparent he would win. His father, former Associate Commissioner Leonard Sander, did arrive early, however, to chart his son's progress.

Cape Girardeau public schools Business Manager Larry Dew maintained a vigil for the school district on its bond issue proposals, which lost by wide margins.

Small, incorporated towns around Cape County elected members to their boards of trustees Tuesday, but there were no races, and in some cases no candidates. Gordonville had five positions to fill but no one filed. The write-in process could determine the new trustees.

In Oak Ridge, Billie Criddle and Karen McLane were re-elected without opposition - Criddle receive 16 votes and McLane 12. In Whitewater, Sharon Hale and Jerome Foster were elected to the board without opposition, while in Allenville, John Kinder, Gary Mansker, and Terry Ross had no opposition.

In the East County Fire District, the race for a six-year term on the board was nearly as close as the race for the four-year term. Gary Fornkahl won the board position with 196 votes, edging out Ronald Cotner who had 188.

In the race for a two-year term, Arthur Lueder Jr. won over Rebecca L. Baylor by a margin of 238 to 144.

A canvass of Tuesday's election will be conducted today, before the final results are certified by the county clerk.