Voters likely will have made decisions about candidates and issues before entering polling booths Nov. 5, but some may have questions about the ballots once inside.

County clerks throughout the region have been working to determine the clearest way to present the special election for the unexpired term of the late 8th District U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson. The unexpired term ends in January.

Three candidates are seeking election to the unexpired term.

Also on Election Day voters will decide which of five candidates will fill that same seat for the new congressional term that begins in January.

County clerks in Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Scott and Perry counties said Wednesday that the special election to fill Emerson's unexpired term will be a separate question on each county's ballot.

"It's my feeling this is a separate ballot, completely different from the original slate of candidates on the ballot," said Cape Girardeau County Clerk Rodney Miller.

In Cape Girardeau and Perry counties, and within six other counties in the 8th Congressional District, the punch-card method of balloting is used.

While the special election for the unexpired term "will be on one of those pages, it must be voted separately," Miller explained.

"It is a separate issue," agreed Perry County Clerk Randy Taylor. To vote in the special election voters will have to punch that portion of the ballot, he stressed.

The special election portion of the ballot is clearly indicated, Taylor said. "It states on it that it is a special election ballot," he said.

Bollinger and Scott counties are among the 15 counties in the 8th District that use paper ballots counted by optical scanners.

Scott County Clerk Rita Milam agreed that the special election is considered a separate issue.

In Scott County, all Election Day questions, including the special election question, will be presented on a single sheet of paper.

Since the special election is a separate issue, Milam explained, "The people will have to fill in that oval in the special election."

"The people will get one ballot, and they'll vote it front and back," Milam said. "Even though the special election is a totally separate election, it is still on the same ballot."

Bollinger County voters, however, will receive two ballots when they enter polling booths.

"The first ballot has the general election on it; the second ballot has the special 8th Congressional District election and amendments," said Bollinger County Clerk Diane Holzum.

In each of the four counties the special election question follows the general election candidacy questions.

Candidates vying for the unexpired congressional term are Emily Firebaugh, Democrat; Jo Ann Emerson, Republican; and Greg Tlapek, Libertarian.

All three candidates seeking election to the unexpired congressional term are also candidates for the new term.

Compounding the potential for voter confusion is the fact that Emerson is listed as a Republican in the special election and as an Independent candidate in the general election, Milam pointed out.

Candidates seeking voters' nods in the general election for 8th District congressman in the order they appear on the ballot are Emily Firebaugh, Democrat; Richard Kline, Republican; Greg Tlapek, Libertarian; David R. Zimmer, Natural Law; Jo Ann Emerson, Independent.

Filing deadlines and statute limitations necessitated that Emerson be listed as an Independent in the general election, though she is running as a Republican in the special election.

"Declarations of candidacies had closed, and there were candidates that had already filed on the Republican ticket," Miller explained. "The ballot could not be opened up again, but the statutes still allowed for an Independent candidate."

Voters in the 8th District have several options in the manner in which they make their choices.

Instructions for straight-ticket and split-ticket voting are explained on the ballots. The options are available regardless of whether punch-card or paper ballots are used.

Punch-card ballots require the use of a stylus. Paper-ballot voting calls for the darkening of ovals next to the voter's choice.

In straight-ticket voting, depending upon whether punch-card or paper ballots are used, the voter simply punches the ballot or darkens the oval opposite the name of the party of his choice. Every candidate in that party is automatically selected.

In split-ticket voting, voters may also punch a hole or darken an oval opposite the name of one party and automatically select candidates within that party, then punch holes or darken ovals opposite the names of candidates of other parties as they so choose.

The option of making individual selections throughout the ballot is also available.

"If you want to punch a straight vote for a particular party, and then you want to vote for other candidates in other parties, you can switch over," Miller explained. When the computer counts the votes, exceptions are counted.

Besides candidacy questions, most ballots contain questions that require yes or no response.

Proposed constitutional amendments, propositions and judicial retention questions are examples of ballot questions that must be answered with a yes or no.

Plus, voting preparation involves more than learning about the candidates and issues.

To avoid complications at the polls, voters should notify their county clerk's office of any change of residence.

In addition, absentee voting is available for those who need the service, Miller said.

Persons may cast an absentee ballot at their county clerk's office. In Cape Girardeau County, absentee ballots may also be cast at the Common Pleas Annex on Lorimier Street.

Miller said requests in Cape Girardeau County for absentee ballots by mail will be accepted until 5 p.m. Oct. 30.

Cape Girardeau County voter turnout for the Nov. 5 election is expected to be high. In Cape Girardeau County, voter turnout in presidential elections is usually between 78 percent and 81 percent of the eligible voters, Miller said.

While eligible voter numbers are not yet available, since 1995 those numbers have been increasing.