NEARLY 40 PERCENT OF CAIRO VOTERS GO TO POLLS

CAIRO, Ill. -- More than double the usual number of Cairo residents turned out to cast their vote in Tuesday's election.

About 39 percent or 1,493 of the city's 3,825 registered voters participated in municipal and board of education elections in the city's five precincts. Generally, less than 10 percent of registered voters participate in an off-year election.

In the remaining six voter precincts in the county, only 1,030 voters particpated in the election, bringing the county's overall voter participation to about 32 percent. There are 7,877 registered voters in Alexander County.

Tallying election results was a slow process for county employees, who didn't finish counting votes until before 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Alexander County Clerk Louis Maze said he wasn't surprised by the near-record turnout of voters for the city contests nor by the small turnout of other precincts, which were low because there were few municipal contests.

Off-year elections -- especially school board elections -- usually generate only nominal voter interest, he said.

Maze attributed the high Cairo voter turnout to the large number of contested races. Whenever there is a larger-than-average field of candidates or hot issues raised by candidates, voter participation increases, he said.

"I think it was just that people wanted the slots to get in there and try to change some of the things going on in Cairo, so they came out," Maze said.

Cairo Mayor James Wilson was unopposed in his bid for another term as was Ward 5 City Council member Carolyn Ponting. All other Cairo City Council incumbents also were re-elected.

City election results by ward:

Ward 1

-- James Thurston: 901.

-- Charles Koen: 678.

Registered voters, 829; percentage voting, 35.6.

Ward 2

-- Bobby Whitaker: 199.

-- Berlene Jones: 142.

Registered voters, 739; percentage voting, 47.4.

Ward 3

-- Cordell McGoy: 115.

-- Danny Brown: 62.

Registered voters, 399; percentage voting, 45.1.

Ward 4

-- Nancy Wright: 300.

-- Duke Jones: 125.

Registered voters, 786; percentage voting, 54.

Ward 5

-- Carolyn Ponting.

Registered voters, 724; percentage voting, 33.4.

Total registered voters: 3,825.

Total voters: 1,493.

Percentage voting: 39.0 percent.