Turnout expected to be low in Tuesday's election

While the number of items on the ballot vary from county to county, area election officials all predict voter turnout for Tuesday's election will remain low.

April elections don't often see strong participation numbers unless "something heavy is on the ballot," said Cape Girardeau County Clerk Kara Clark Summers.

Several items could draw voters in different precincts to the polls, she said. Jackson has contested races for school board and mayor.

Voters within the boundaries of the Cape Girardeau or Nell Holcomb school districts also have school board races and propositions to consider.

"I think people are going to get out for those things that are important to them," said Clark Summers.

Countywide, there is a 1 percent use-tax question to consider.

While it's been a hot topic around the county in recent months, Clark Summers said she believes the other races and ballot questions will be "the driving force of the turnout."

She estimates up to 14 percent of the county's voters could cast ballots Tuesday but admits that number might be a little high.

In neighboring Scott County, County Clerk Rita Milam also pointed to school board races as a factor that might spur more voter participation.

A handful of cities also have contested races for city government positions.

Voters across the county will be asked to renew the countywide sales tax of one-half of one percent.

Milam said making an accurate estimate for turnout is difficult since there's no way to be certain, but she doesn't expect to see more than a quarter of the county's voters at the booths.

Perry County Clerk Jared Kutz admittted Tuesday's race will be a slow one for most of the county's precincts.

"We have very limited contested races," he said.

Among the few contested is the Altenburg mayoral race, which Kutz said could drive up voter participation within the city, though it's not likely to affect the county's overall numbers.

"Altenburg has a mayor race, but that's less than 300 voters," he said. "So that's not going to move the needle much, but the voter turnout will be high for them."

He expects 1,800 to 2,000 votes will be cast Tuesday, or 14 percent to 17 percent countywide participation.

Polling places open at 6 a.m. and remain open until 7 p.m. Tuesday.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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