JACKSON'S NARROW ESCAPE

JACKSON, Mo. -- In an election night filled with close decisions Tuesday, the Jackson School District narrowly escaped having a bond issue rejected by voters for a third time this year.

The measure was approved by a vote of 6,718 to 5,006 of Cape Girardeau County voters, an approval rating of 57.3 percent. Unofficial results from Bollinger County, which has some residents who live within the Jackson School District, accounted for an additional five yes votes and four no votes.

Overall, approximately 57.29 percent of voters approved the measure. The figure was less than two-tenths of a percentage point -- just 20 votes -- over the supermajority required for passage.

"We're happy. Most politicians would be pretty happy if they got that close," said school superintendent Dr. Ron Anderson.

Voters in some state and national contests that resulted in a victory margin of less than 1 percent already have called for ballot recounts, and Anderson said there has been a "rumor mill" in some circles about the possibility of a recount of the bond issue.

"I haven't heard anything official," he said. "I think people are just talking because it's still going on with the national thing. There's always possibilities. We'll just have to wait and see."

A spokesperson in the county clerk's office said there had been a question from a voter about provisions for a recount of the election results. Missouri law allows an individual to petition a circuit court for a recount within 30 days of an election if an issue is decided by less than 1 percent. The county would have to assume all costs for the recount.

Anderson said the district will await certification of the election results within the next 30 days before it begins the process of selling bonds and preparing bid specifications for the project. The bond issue included a 10-cent tax increase on real estate to pay for construction of a new addition and other renovations to R.O. Hawkins Junior High.

"Everybody's anxious to just get things going, so we want to do that in a very timely fashion," Anderson said. "I just think the community's relieved and ecstatic that we can move on."