Turnout low despite strong showing early in day

Local election authority predictions for low voter turnout came true Tuesday night.

The Missouri ballot was lacking any major races, such as governor or U.S. Senate, which was expected to play a role in the low turnout.

Unofficial election results show slightly more than 33 percent of Cape Girardeau County voters cast ballots, meaning only 17,410 of the county's 52,485 registered voters went to the polls. Some precincts in Cape Girardeau were kept busy throughout the day, likely because of the fire sales tax renewal question, but it wasn't enough to bring the county up to the anticipated turnout of mid-40s.

Election officials Betty Shoaf, left, and Karen Smith check voters in at Jackson First Baptist Church's The Bridge during Tuesday's election. (Laura Simon)

Perry County numbers also came in below county clerk Randy Taylor's expectations, but only by a few hundred voters. Of the county's 11,761 registered voters, 5,136 showed up. That equaled 43.67 percent, falling just short of Taylor's prediction of 48.5 percent.

Scott County was the only local county to come out ahead of predictions. County clerk Rita Milam estimated 25 percent would head to the polls, but 7,825 of the county's 26,358 registered voters cast ballots, equaling 29.69 percent.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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