By MIKE MCCOY
Statesman Staff Writer
BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - A total of 2,997 ballots were cast in the April 2 municipal and school election, which was a 46 percent increase from the election held in 2012. About 15 percent of the 20,180 voters in the county cast their ballots. The election cost was $28,169.37, which means the election cost $9.40 per voter.
County Clerk Joe Watson said he believed the increase in turnout for the 2013 election was due to contested mayor races in several municipalities, a slate of six candidates for school board in the Richland School District and contested races in the Liberty Township board and secretary.
There were 1,036 ballots cast in Liberty Township where five candidates filed as write-in candidates after Herman "Jack" Jackson announced his retirement and decision to withdraw from the election. His name was still on the ballot, along with incumbent Ron Ellsworth. Ellsworth won re-election while Ricky Stearns won the other seat. Also in Liberty Township, incumbent treasurer Ed Crow narrowly defeated Ken. L. Minton by 10 votes.
In the race for Richland School District Board, Hollie Wheeler Hughes and Jason Blunt won the two available seats over four other candidates.
Watson said the normal turnout for municipal/school elections is around 3,000 voters, which means 2013 was an average year.
Watson said the Poll Pads used at precincts at Dexter and Bloomfield were very successful. He said judges were pleased with the iPads which verified voter registration at the polling places. He noted the only problem encountered by the judges was that some people brought old voter identification cards which did not have the needed bar codes. He said new voter identification cards will be mailed out to voters in the new few weeks, although some new cards have already been mailed to some rural precincts. Voters should destroy the old cards after they have received the new ones.
Watson said the new Poll Pads also decreased labor in the clerk's office by providing a list of registered voters who voted in the election. He said this information had to be done manually in the old system, which was time consuming. Watson hopes to have iPads for all precincts in the county by the 2014 municipal elections. He said the county would need 20 more iPads (20 were used at Dexter and Bloomfield) at a cost of approximately $1,000 each which includes software. The maintenance contract on the pads is $100 per machine.
Watson said his office was working "one person short" during the election. He noted that the number of write-in votes slowed results somewhat. He thanked Deputy Clerks Virginia DeGroot and Ginger Goodman for "their long hours that day."