While voters interviewed by the News Tribune at the polls expressed support for various mayoral candidates, many said they wanted change on the school board, and they did not vote for the only incumbent.
Liz Hess said one of her two choices for Jefferson City school board was Pam Murray, who has campaigned for change, and one the candidates she did not vote for was incumbent Joy Sweeney.
"I hope to see some real change in the school board," Hess said. "I want some more backbone, with more opinions discussed."
She voted at Community Christian Church, which served as Jefferson City's Ward 5, Precinct 4 poll.
She said the current board's attempt to show unity by approving things unanimously comes at the expense of expressing and representing different voices in the community.
"It seems hard to believe all the people on the school board can always be of the same opinion," she said.
Just before noon at the church, voters walked up to the polls at a rate of about one every five minutes.
Jere Keefer was the 64th person to cast his vote there.
He said he wasn't knowledgeable about the school board candidates, and didn't fill out that part of his ballot. His purpose in going to the polls was to vote Carrie Tergin for mayor.
He believes Tergin will be good for the city "as far as furthering it into something bigger and better."
Keefer - a stylist at Haute Salon, almost across the street from Tergin's store, Carrie's Hallmark - said the economy is a big issue to him. As a business owner, Tergin will be accountable, he said. "We see businesses come and go. Carrie's Hallmark has been there forever," he said.
Later at the same voting place, Carol Scott said Sweeney, the incumbent, was not among her picks for school board.
"We need a change," she said. "We're going to need a whole new school board eventually. They can't get anything done, and Jefferson City needs another high school."
Dennis Vaught said he mainly was interested in the mayoral election, and he voted for Edith Vogel.
"I've known her a long time. The rest of them I don't really know. ... Sometimes it's not the issue, it's the personality. ... She's a lady of her word," Vaught said.
Moreau Heights Elementary School and McClung Park polling sites seemed more active, with a steady stream of voters.
Trevion Scott, a Lincoln University senior, spent part of his day driving people to the polls.
Scott was primarily interested in the Jefferson City Board of Education race, and said he voted for Adrian Hendricks II. Scott said he liked Hendricks' willingness to collaborate with others and ability to build a network of people interested in connecting with the school district.
The college student said his involvement with Lincoln's youth development programming has allowed him to get to know many children in Jefferson City.
"I'm very concerned about the direction the schools are going," Scott said, noting he's worried the local public schools have problems with limited space, and aren't able to offer enough opportunities to children.
Scott also said he's a supporter of Michael Couty, who he noted has a lot of experience working with the public schools.
Betty Sheldon, an East-side resident who has lived in Jefferson City since 1979, no longer has children in the district, but remains concerned about the district's direction.
Although she didn't say who got her vote, she did say she wasn't interested in supporting any school board incumbent.
She noted it appeared to her teachers' concerns have been dismissed by some members of the board. She thought it was "terrible" that leaders wouldn't consider a trailer at East Elementary School to handle overcrowding.
"When the new superintendent arrives, I hope he will listen more to the teachers' concerns," she said.
Stephen Mathis, who votes at Moreau Heights, shared some of Sheldon's assessment of the district's problems.
"The schools have real issues with discipline, and the relationship between teachers and administrators seems strained," he said. "That's a concern I have."
Mathis gave his vote to "individuals who have not yet served" on the board, he said.
He noted a quality school system is critical for attracting new businesses and has implications for a community's quality of life. "Schools can serve as a real source of pride and enthusiasm for a community," Mathis said.
Sue Kauffman was more concerned about the outcome of the mayor's race, saying she supported Bob Scrivner.
"I've been watching him, and I was impressed with the way he deals with things. He will be a strong leader," Kauffman said. "We haven't really had a mayor for a few years."
Kauffman wants to see city leaders "work on the downtown." She doesn't care for seeing taverns and tattoo parlors there, she said, and wants to see more retail shopping flourish.
Other voters on Thursday believe Jefferson City's downtown gets its due attention, and would like to see leaders expand their focus.
Sheldon noted that both the Capital Mall and the East Side need more attention.
"I'm glad we're getting a new store at the mall (Ross), but the East Side is underutilized. All we have is Walmart," she lamented.
Although she often votes for female candidates - and thought former Mayor Louise Gardner did a good job years ago - Sheldon noted she did not vote for the two female candidates in Tuesday's race because of what she felt was a narrow interest in downtown issues.
Erica Johnson said she came to the polls partly to support her pastor, Adrian Hendricks II, who is one of the five candidates for the Jefferson City school board. She said she has worked on his campaign.
"Voting is important for me especially being a young minority," she said. "I always hear from other people complaining and complaining, but those guys don't come out and vote either. How can we make a change if they are just back there complaining but not actually doing anything proactive to make a change? It is pretty important."
See Mid-Missouri election results in our politics section.