SCOTT COUNTY EXPECTS LOWER TURNOUT IN TUESDAY'S VOTE

BENTON -- Turnout for Tuesday's election in Scott County will be less than last year's if requests for absentee ballots are an indication.

Scott County Clerk Rita Milam said her office had mailed 54 absentee ballots to county voters.

In last April's election, there were 87 applicants for mailed absentee ballots and 83 of those were returned to the county clerk's office.

The county turnout last year was 38 percent, Milam said, the highest percentage for an April election that she remembered.

The countywide turnout in April 1993 was 21 percent, while 28 percent voted in April 1992. Those turnouts are more typical for an April election, she said.

Election interest was high last year because of the statewide issue on allowing games of chance on riverboats, Milam said. In addition, there were the usual municipal and school board races, plus a local initiative in Scott City to allow riverboat gambling.

The statewide issue on games of chance lost last year by more than 1,400 votes of the more than 1 million cast. Scott County voters added to the defeat by a margin of 4,556 to 3,521.

Scott City voters, however, approved riverboat gambling as a local initiative. Missouri voters approved games of chance on riverboats last November.

Milam thinks this year's three countywide tax issues may spur voters' interest in Tuesday's election. She said both committees seem to be working hard to promote their issues.

County voters will decide a 10-cent property tax increase for mental health services, a quarter-cent sales tax for additional law enforcement services and another quarter-cent sales tax to build a new county jail.

A high turnout is expected in Chaffee as local voters will choose a mayor for the next four years, council members, as well as two of three candidates running for the school board.

Scott City voters have choices in three of four council races and will select two of four candidates running for the school board.

Oran has four contested races for board of aldermen and four candidates seeking two seats on the school board.

Only 40 absentee ballots had been cast and returned to the county clerk's office by Friday afternoon. Milam will count absentee ballots returned by mail as long as they're delivered to the Benton post office by Tuesday morning.

Voters may cast an absentee ballot in person at the county clerk's office today from 8 to noon and Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The registered voters for Tuesday's election is up more than 1,000 from last year at 22,236, Milam said. If the same number of voters cast ballots as last year, Tuesday's turnout will reach 36 percent.