VOTES COMING IN SLOWLY ON LAKE POLL

MARBLE HILL -- Only about 250 ballots have been collected so far in an informal straw poll that may decide the fate of a proposed recreational lake in Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties.

And Bollinger County officials say the results of the poll will stand, even if voting is light.

Bollinger County Assistant Clerk Teresa Johnson said Wednesday that only about 250 of Bollinger County's 7,600 voters have cast their ballots in the poll. Voting began last week.

The poll asks voters whether they want to have the opportunity to vote on the lake issue in November.

Associate Commissioner Jerry Woodfin said the results will be considered as representative of the wishes of county residents, regardless of the number of ballots turned in.

"The majority is supposed to rule," said Woodfin. "If over half support it, then we'll go with it, and if over half don't support it, then we won't support it."

Woodfin said the number of ballots collected so far is less than he expected. But he said, "I guess we're going to go with whatever the vote is, even if voting is light."

Presiding Commissioner Elwood Mouser said he had hoped for responses from 2,000 to 3,000 voters. He noted that the courthouse will be open until noon Saturday and ballots can be dropped off until then.

"I think we'll get a good idea out of it no matter what the total numbers are," said Mouser.

Like Woodfin, he anticipates the commission will abide by the poll results, regardless of the total votes cast. Both were optimistic the number of participants in the poll would increase by the end of the week.

"No numbers were ever mentioned when we talked about this. We'll just abide however it comes out," Mouser said.

Charles Haubold of Cape Girardeau, chairman of the committee that has been studying the lake idea, said he does not feel 250 responses, regardless of the outcome, would truly represent what the people of Bollinger County think.

"I would hope the sample would be much larger because that's not a true picture, regardless of what the results say," said Haubold.

He suggested the best way to gauge support in Bollinger County is to let the people decide in an election.

Mouser said the ballots will be counted Monday morning by two people Ken Engelhart, a member of the lake committee from Bollinger County, and a county resident opposed to the lake project.

The straw poll, which was the idea of the Bollinger County presiding commissioner, has had few supporters. Critics include members of the lake committee from both Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties and Cape Girardeau County commissioners, who have said that if Bollinger County residents reject the lake in the straw poll, it will likely mean the lake won't be pursued further in either county.

Cape County Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep said last week that if the issue fails, supporters of the lake won't be able to pursue it. To do so would require acceptance by both counties.

Ballots were available at the county courthouse and were also published in the Marble Hill Banner-Press. Voters must sign the ballots, and officials plan to compare the signatures to the county's voter registration rolls.

Mouser said so far three ballots had been rejected by the clerk's office because they were not submitted by registered voters of the county.