31 percent of Missourians registered to vote are projected to turn out for Tuesday’s primary elections.
If so, the figure would mark the highest voter turnout in the state since the 2004 primary, when nearly 36 percent cast a ballot. That year, then-Auditor Claire McCaskill defeated Gov. Bob Holden in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Voters also decided a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to one man and one woman.
This year, the race drawing the most attention and campaign spending is the four-way Republican governor's primary. The ballot also includes contested primaries for Missouri's other statewide offices.
In Greene County, Clerk Shane Schoeller is projecting a 20 percent turnout. He noted that ballot issues tend to drive voters to the polls, but the GOP gubernatorial race has gotten a lot of attention and should lead to decent turnout. The only issue on the ballot in Greene County Tuesday is for citizens of Ash Grove, which is seeking a half percentage transportation sales tax hike for construction and repair projects. See all the ballot items for Greene County here.
See KSMU’s coverage to date of the contested primary races here. And check back in with us Wednesday morning on-air and online to learn of the election results.