Voter errors delayed returns in some Southeast Missouri counties

Election night difficulties led to late returns from some area counties Tuesday night, causing final vote counts to be delayed until near midnight in some cases.

In both Stoddard and Mississippi counties, several ballots were rejected by optical scan machines and had to be taken before a resolution board to verify voter intent.

Stoddard County Clerk Don White estimates about 15 percent of the approximately 10,400 ballots cast in his county were rejected by optical scan machines. The county experienced a large turnout, with 52 percent of eligible voters casting ballots, he said.

"As bad as I hate to say it, 95 percent of our trouble was that people didn't vote the ballot right," White said.

Voters made check marks and circled ovals that were meant to be filled in, White said. In one case, a voter actually wrote the names of candidates down instead of filling in the oval, he said.

"I think that you probably, on big turnouts, get people who aren't used to voting," White said. In Stoddard County the final counts were finished around 10:30 p.m., when they would usually be complete by around 9 p.m., White said.

Similar problems were encountered in Mississippi County, where optical scan machines rejected about 100 ballots, County Clerk Junior DeLay said.

Many of the rejected ballots were overvotes, where voters may have inadvertently marked more than one oval for the same race, DeLay said. At 9 p.m., Mississippi County had only counted two precincts and its absentee votes. The total count was finished until about 11:15 p.m., he said.

The vote total in Mississippi County was crucial to the race for the 161st district of the Missouri House of Representatives. New Madrid Republican Gary Branum led East Prairie Democrat Steve Hodges awaiting totals from Mississippi County. Those final totals put Hodges over Branum.

Stoddard County's vote were needed to find out the winner of the 159th District House race, in which incumbent Billy Pat Wright, R-Dexter, defeated Democratic challenger Boyce Wooley, also of Dexter, for the second time in two years.

Alexander County, Ill., also experienced delays in counting, pushing the county's final vote tabulation to almost midnight.

County Clerk Kent Thomas said delays were caused by his desire to keep from violating Illinois election law. The election was Thomas' first, and he said he waited until polls closed to count absentee ballots. Thomas said counties interpret the law differently as to when vote counting can begin. Some counties start before polls close, some wait until after, he said. Thomas said he wanted to make sure he wasn't in violation of election rules.

Thomas said he'll ask for clarification on the law before the next election so totals may be ready sooner.

msanders@semissourian.com

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