Cole County Clerk predicts 12 percent voter turnout Tuesday

Cole County Clerk Steve Korsmeyer (News Tribune file photo)
Cole County Clerk Steve Korsmeyer (News Tribune file photo)


Cole County Clerk Steve Korsmeyer predicts 12 percent of the county's registered voters will come out for Tuesday's election.

Korsmeyer said April elections get 10-12 percent voter turnout on average, but it's often hard to predict beforehand. The measures on the ballot can also influence how many voters show up.

Last year, the turnout was 13 percent.

Cole County has some 55,000 registered voters, Korsmeyer said. So far, 218 people have voted early and in person. He said roughly 580 absentee ballots were mailed out and maybe 466 of them have been returned.

"That's pretty good, really," he said. "I don't know how many voters we actually have that are on our permanent disabled list, but I'd say there's quite a few and that's probably most of those that sent that it."

Last year, he said, there were 643 absentee votes.

Korsmeyer said he and his staff are prepared for the election.

Poll workers have been receiving training this week, and with the exception of some who may call out or not show up, he said, they should be fully staffed.

"It should be fine," he said. "We do have all-new equipment, so it'll process the voter a lot faster and a lot easier. Luckily we stayed with the same companies, so the software is pretty much the same. We just had training class and didn't have any issues, so I'm hoping everything will go well."

Cole County voters will be deciding on a number of ballot measures, from school board members to municipal races to marijuana sales taxes. The items that appear on each voter's ballot will depend on location.

There are 23 voting locations in Cole County. Voters can find their voting location on their voter ID or sample ballot.

To see the entire Cole County ballot, go to https://colecounty.org/441/Sample-Ballots and click on "Cole County Sample Ballot." To view the sample ballot specific to you, with only the measures you're eligible to vote on, click on "Secretary of State's Sample Ballot."

You'll be instructed to enter some personal information and then presented with a list of your candidates and issues, as well as information on your districts.

Here's a brief breakdown of the Cole County ballot. Not all of these measures will be on every voter's ballot:

3 percent Cole County marijuana sales tax.

3 percent Jefferson City marijuana sales tax.

Jefferson City council members for wards 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Jefferson City mayor.

Jefferson City municipal judge.

Jefferson City prosecutor.

Jefferson City School District Board of Education members.

Kids FIRST proposition, which would allow the Jefferson City School District to borrow $85 million.

Blair Oaks R-2 School District Board of Education members.

Cole County R-1 School District Board of Education members.

Cole County R-5 School District Board of Education members.

City of Russellville East and West Ward aldermen.

City of St. Martins mayor, North and South Ward aldermen.

Village of Wardsville trustees.

Village of Centertown trustees.

Village of Centertown Proposition P, which would implement a 1 percent "use tax" to match the existing sales tax.

Cole County Fire Protection District Board of Directors members.

Moniteau Reorganized School District No. 1 Board of Education members.

Osage Fire Protection District Board of Directors members.

For Jefferson City voters who don't have reliable transportation, the Jefferson City NAACP and First United Methodist Church are joining forces to give rides to the polls on Election Day.

To get a ride, residents just need to call 573-635-6886 and give their name, address and contact information. Rides will be provided between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Salvation Army residents can get a ride at 1 p.m.

"No questions are asked about how you will vote, political flyers will not be handed out and you are not obligated to vote for any specific candidate. We're simply offering a friendly ride to vote," Pastor Trevor Dancer said in a news release about the rides.

The release also said volunteers will help voters identify their polling location, see what's on their sample ballots and answer any other questions about voting.

"Don't throw away your voice. Catch a ride, and vote on Tuesday, April 4," Missouri/Jefferson City NAACP president Nimrod Chapel Jr. said in the release.

For more information on the election, go to www.newstribune.com/election.