Voter turnout for Tuesday's general municipal election was nearly what Callaway County Clerk Denise Hubbard had expected.
Leading up to election day, Hubbard said she thought Callaway County would see turnout between 9-10 percent, but the figure was short at 8.75 percent. That percentage is typical compared to the 2013-14 general municipal elections in April. In April 2013, 8.59 percent of the total 24,182 registered Callaway County voters hit the polls. The voter turnout percentage only jumped by .37 percent in April 2014 opposed to the year prior.
Although the 2015 voter turnout percentage was close to what she predicted, Hubbard said she would still like to see more people vote in local elections.
"I wish people would get out for April elections a little bit more," she said.
Voter turnout for the November 2014 election, which included statewide races and amendments as well as county races, was at 39.11 percent. The 2012 presidential election attracted 65.23 percent of Callaway County voters. Hubbard said the major difference in the November 2014 and 2012 elections compared to Tuesday's local election is publicity. Signs, commercials and advertisements are more visible with county, statewide and national elections, and are nearly non-existent in local elections.
"Some people are not aware (a local election) is going on. It's not talked about as much and people don't know the candidates as much," Hubbard said, adding she thought there were no major issues on the April 2015 ballot and she didn't see a "huge" interest in the use tax measure.
As far as precinct turnout, Mokane saw the biggest turnout at 18.44 percent. There were 90 of those 488 registered who voted. The other highest-turnout precincts were:
• Portland - 14.85 percent, 53/357;
• Dixie - 12.06 percent, 38/315;
• Hams Prairie - 10.89 percent, 97/891;
• Tebbetts - 10.86 percent, 87/801.
Fulton-Ward 2 was the precinct with the lowest turnout at 4.8 percent and 16 of its 750 registered voters casting their ballots. The other lowest-turnout precincts were:
• Millersburg - 5.28 percent, 76/1,439;
• Fulton-Ward 3 - 5.64 percent, 102/1,807;
• Fulton-Ward 4 - 6.42 percent, 89/1,386;
• Cedar City-Holts Summit - 6.8 percent, 261/3,839.
The Cedar City-Holts Summit precinct had the highest number of registered voters and saw one of the lowest turnout percentages. With the second-highest number of registered voters at 2,267, the Holts Summit-Ward 1 and 2 precinct recorded a turnout percentage near the county-wide average at 8.73 percent.
Hubbard said 58 election judges helped run Tuesday's election. She said there were no challenges and the judges told her the day went well, but wished they were busier.
April 7, 2015 general municipal election
Total precincts - 25
Registered voters - 27,248
Ballots cast - 2,383
Voter turnout - 8.75%
Total contested races - 8
Total propositions and questions - 3
April 8, 2014 general municipal election
Total precincts - 25
Registered voters - 27,783
Ballots cast - 2,489
Voter turnout - 8.96%
Total contested races - 8
Total propositions and questions - 3
April 2, 2013 general municipal election
Total precincts - 21
Registered voters - 24,182
Ballots cast - 2,077
Voter turnout - 8.59%
Total contested races - 7
Total propositions and questions - 4
April 2015 general municipal election individual races and questions (does not include write-in votes):
Fulton School Board (vote for two)
Total votes - 1,357
Dennis M. Depping - 359
Kristina "Kristi" Donohue - 325
Timothy Clay Caswell - 214
Charles Baysinger - 176
Darren Dzurick - 140
Chad Bristol - 70
Woodrow Foster - 50
South Callaway School Board (vote for two)
Total votes - 679
Micah Benningfield - 243
Dawn Bailey - 183
Greg Kimminau - 148
Ryan Arrowood - 102
North Callaway School Board (vote for 2)
Total votes - 699
Scott Starkey - 238
Amy Reinhard - 238
John Wortmann - 221
Jefferson City School Board (vote for two)
Total votes (Callaway County) - 960
Pam Murray - 300
Michael Couty - 201
Dan Renfrow - 200
Joy Sweeney - 136
Adrian Henricks II - 120
Montgomery County School Board (vote for two)
Total votes (Callaway County) - 18
John Shaw - 7
Valerie (Steffan) Muchow - 7
Gregory Scheid - 4
Fulton Mayor
Total votes - 429
LeRoy Benton - 418
Fulton Prosecuting Attorney
Total votes - 414
Casey Clevenger - 411
Fulton Ward 1 Councilman
Total votes - 162
Wayne Chailland - 159
Fulton Ward 2 Councilman
Total votes - 49
Lowe Cannell - 49
Fulton Ward 3 Councilman
Total votes - 106
Richard Vaughn - 104
Fulton Ward 4 Councilman
Total votes - 104
Rick Shiverdecker - 102
Auxvasse Mayor
Total votes - 90
Kevin Phares - 36
Keith Clow - 27
Charles Blue - 26
Auxvasse North Ward Alderman
Total votes - 36
Michael H. Bickel - 35
Auxvasse South Ward Alderman
Total votes - 46
Terry L. Walker - 45
Village of Kingdom City (vote for two)
Total votes - 39
Kenny McClure - 15
Randy Hughes - 14
William Shults - 9
Mokane Mayor
Total votes - 9
Thomas Shackelford - 6
Mokane Councilpersons At-Large (vote for two)
Total votes - 17
Devin Hoover - 9
N. Lance Clingman - 8
New Bloomfield Ward 1 Alderman
Total votes - 27
Greg Rehagen - 26
New Bloomfield Ward 2 Alderman
Total votes - 32
Martha Siegel - 31
Holts Summit Ward 1 Alderman
Total votes - 89
Jason Glenn - 85
Holts Summit Ward 2 Alderman
Total votes - 88
Landon Edward Oxley - 62
Charles Chamberlin - 26
Lake Mykee Board of Trustees (vote for two)
Total votes - 37
Michael J. Quick - 20
Jay Clingman - 17
Callaway County Use Tax
Total votes - 2,254
No - 1,140
Yes - 1,114
New Bloomfield Schools Proposition K.I.D.S.
Total votes - 346
Yes - 283
No - 63
City of New Bloomfield Question
Total votes - 56
Yes - 44
No - 12