71 percent turn out for Cole County votes | Jefferson City News Tribune

Gary Riddle, left, and Al Schmidt consult while counting absentee ballots from the military Tuesday at the Cole County Courthouse annex.

Cole County Clerk Steve Korsmeyer's prediction of a 75 percent voter turnout in the county fell short with a final tally of nearly 71 percent.

The turnout for Tuesday's general election in Cole County was slightly above the 2012 election (70 percent) but not quite the number reached in 2008 (73 percent).

"We printed 40,000 ballots, and nearly 38,000 were cast," he said.

The last precinct to come into the clerk's office to drop off ballots was from Calvary Baptist on Hough Street. They had voters in line when the polls were to close at 7 p.m.

"They had voters outside the door," Korsmeyer said. "The rule is if you are in line, whether you are inside or outside the polling place at 7 p.m., you get to vote. At that time, a poll worker goes to the back of the line, and no one can vote after that person."

Korsmeyer said they had some issues with ballots going through some of the voting machines, but they were able to make sure all did get through so all votes were counted.

"There were issues with how they were being fed through the machines," he said. "It seemed some of the machines only wanted to take the ballots if the bar codes were on the right side. That's unusual because they are supposed to be able to go through any which way you want. We'll have to talk with the manufacturers to try and figure out the problem."

Korsmeyer said the majority of voters came from the early morning through the mid-afternoon.

"Some of the polling places opened to let people out of the rain but not to vote," Korsmeyer said. "The rain, though, didn't hurt the turnout. I was very pleased with how things went."

Pat Thomas, chief of staff to Sen. Brian Munzlinger and secretary of the state Republican Party, was pressed into serving as the receptionist at the GOP headquarters in downtown Jefferson City as hired staff fanned out around the state and were otherwise obligated with extinguishing election night brush fires.

Thomas said multiple phone callers to her party headquarters reported malfunctioning vote tabulating computers throughout Jefferson City, Cole County and statewide. She also had received multiple complaints about local election judges stacking uncounted ballots in boxes, trays and on shelves because the machines were malfunctioning.

Thomas' husband, Doug, drove to Denver on Tuesday to be with their son, Jefferson Thomas, the political director of the Trump campaign in Colorado. The younger Thomas is a graduate of Helias High School and the University of Missouri.

Yancy Williams, one of the GOP's most experienced election guardians, advised party elders the ballot machines' malfunctions were likely attributable to weather conditions linked to warmer than normal temperatures, rainfall and large crowds of voters in cramped voting stables.

Jonathon Prouty, executive director of the Missouri GOP, said the party had teams of attorneys on standby for rapid response to any reports of egregious voting irregularities.

Prouty and GOP chairman John Hancock were in the studios of KMOX radio in St. Louis for election night commentary, reportage and expert analysis.

Harry Gallagher, a Jefferson City veteran of 50 years of Missouri election nights, said he has known since Monday afternoon Jefferson City, Cole County and the whole state were going to witness record turnouts. His hunch was based on the crowd he encountered in the Cole County clerks office, all queued up to cast absentee ballots.

Susan Cook, chair of Cole County's Democratic Committee, was pleased with the heavy turnout.

"It was such a divisive election that people were excited to finally have a vote and a say and to vote for their candidates," she said.

OTHER ELECTION COVERAGE

U.S.

Trump rides his movement to vindication and the White House

Major voting problems scant despite ominous warnings

3 states OK recreational pot; 2 toughen gun control laws

Missouri

Trump, Greitens lead big night for Republicans in Missouri

Incumbent Blunt defeats Kander in Missouri Senate race

Missouri election results

Missouri amendment and ballot initiative results