Low voter turnout disappoints clerk

Posted 4/15/21

Maries County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers said last Tuesday’s Municipal Election in the county operated smoothly. However, she said she is disappointed by the low voter turnout.

“No matter …

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Low voter turnout disappoints clerk

Posted

Maries County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers said last Tuesday’s Municipal Election in the county operated smoothly. However, she said she is disappointed by the low voter turnout.

“No matter how small or how big an election is, it is still the same amount of work,” the county clerk said. 

The final voter turnout at the election was 11.54 percent. The number of eligible voters for the April Election living in seven precincts was 2,668 and only 308 made the effort to come to the polling sites to cast their vote. 

Rodgers initially had predicted a nine percent voter turnout, but increased it to 13 percent because the Belle Precinct had several contested races. Also because Vienna had a sales tax question. “I thought they would come out for those and they didn’t.”

Belle

In the Belle Precinct 200 voters cast ballots, choosing school board members and Belle City Council members. 

Brinktown

The Brinktown Precinct had nine voters, Hayden Heights had three voters, and Santee had 30 voters all who cast ballots for the Dixon School board positions. 

Mason Ridge

Mason Ridge had two voters casting ballots for the St. Elizabeth School board positions. 

Vienna

Even though the City of Vienna had a sales tax for public safety question on the ballot, only 37 people voted at the Vienna Precinct last Tuesday. Four Vienna voters cast absentee ballots. The sales tax passed 29 ‘YES’ votes to 12 ‘NO’ votes. Collection of the sales tax will begin July 1. 

Rodgers said she would like to see Maries County voters come out for all of the elections because they are all important. They are all also expensive. 

Rodgers said elections are expensive and are paid for by the entities with issues on the ballot. She said most elections cost about $20,000.

There were 22 poll workers at the open precincts last Tuesday that included 12 supervisors, who are paid $125, and 10 regular poll workers who are paid $110.