Primary could generate high turnout

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Presidential primaries in Missouri, a full primary slate in Illinois and a special legislative election in Cape Girardeau are driving up turnout among absentee voters, area county clerks said Monday.

Polls open in Missouri and Illinois at 6 a.m. today. Polls in Illinois close at 6 p.m., while Missouri voters have until 7 p.m. to cast their ballots.

All area jurisdictions contacted Monday reported a strong turnout of absentee voters. In Cape Girardeau County, 510 voters had cast absentee ballots as of mid-afternoon, said Judi Beussink of the Cape Girardeau County Clerk's office.

That number shows strong interest in the primary, coming close to the number of absentee ballots cast in some past general elections.

In the special election to fill the House seat vacated by former state representative Nathan Cooper, Republican former state representative Mary Kasten is seeking to return to the office she held from 1983 to 2001. Democrat Mike Keefe, the former postmaster, and Libertarian Steve Kinder, a pharmacist, are opposing Kasten. The winner will serve the remaining 11 months of Cooper's term.

In Union County, Ill., 716 voters had cast early or absentee ballots, Clerk Bobby Toler said. In Illinois, voters will cast ballots on a full range of offices from county commissions to the presidency.

"We've had a pretty good turnout for a primary," Toler said.

Local races for circuit attorney, state's attorney and two county commission posts are driving up turnout, Toler said.

Absentee numbers are high in Scott, Bollinger and Perry counties in Missouri as well. In Scott County, 219 voters have cast ballots, while 164 have cast ballots in Perry County. The Perry County number portends a much larger turnout than 2004, when only 9 percent of voters took part in the presidential primary, county clerk Randy Taylor said.

In Bollinger County, 130 voters have cast absentee ballots so far, Clerk Diane Holzum said. That number is also a good indication that turnout will be much higher than the 2004 primary, she said.

In 2004, only the Democratic Party had an active presidential primary contest.

All the major active presidential candidates -- U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., on the Democratic side and U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Tex., on the Republican side -- are on the primary ballots in both states. There are several other minor candidates and candidates who have withdrawn appearing on the ballots as well.

The latest polls show a tight contest between Obama and Clinton in Missouri, while Obama has a substantial lead in his home state. Among Republicans, McCain is showing a strong lead over Romney among those polled in Illinois, while he holds a much narrower advantage over Huckabee and Romney in Missouri.

In Missouri, the Libertarian Party is also having a presidential primary, as is the Green Party in Illinois.

With no voter registration by political party in Missouri, voters are free to cast ballots in the presidential primary of their choice. Within the 158th district, the selection of a Democratic, Republican or Libertarian ballot for the presidential primary will not limit voters' choices to that party's candidate in the special election.

Voters who do not want to vote in the presidential primary may make a selection in the 158th district special election by asking for a ballot that does not include the primary,

rkeller@semissourian.com

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