MISSISSIPPI COUNTY SAYS NO TO SLOTS

CHARLESTON -- The Mississippi County precinct that would benefit most from slot machines on riverboats narrowly defeated the amendment that would allow them.

Wyatt residents followed the rest of the county in voting down Amendment 6, 1,869-1,844.

The only other local issue was a decision to extend the county's half-cent sales tax, which goes to general revenue. The measure was approved 2,043-1,339.

County Clerk Junior DeLay's prediction that about half of registered voters would turn out proved true, with 49.5 percent actually voting.

Republican John Ashcroft won the U.S. Senate race with 2,238 votes, far ahead of Democrat Alan Wheat's 1,312 votes and Libertarian Bill Johnson's 175.

Incumbent Margaret Kelly won the state auditor's race in Mississippi County, defeating Steve Danner, 1,975-1,526. Libertarian candidate Grant Stauffer received 108.

Bill Emerson, first elected to the U.S. House of Representative in 1980, won again with 2,693 votes. Democrat Jay Thompson received 1,013 and Libertarian Greg Tlapek received 60.

Amendment 7 went down in Mississippi County 2,876-837.