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Six races decided by low turnout
Staff Reports
CHARLESTON -- With six contested county races, voters in Mississippi County had several choices to make at the polls during Tuesday's primary election.
However, that didn't equate to a large turnout. A total 3,135 of the county's 9,137 registered voters -- or just over 34 percent -- went to the polls on Tuesday to cast their votes.
"That's low, particularly for the number of contested races we had," said County Clerk Junior DeLay. He said that he had forecast 50 percent turnout, but attributed the "hot, brutal" weather for keeping voters away from the polls.
The main issues facing voters in the county were contested races on the Democratic ticket for the position of presiding commissioner, circuit clerk, county clerk, collector of revenue, recorder of deeds and county treasurer. Additionally, voters in East Prairie decided on a proposition regarding how its city marshal is selected.
These totals, provided by the Mississippi County Clerk, are unofficial and have not yet been certified.
In the race for recorder of deeds, George Bays defeated incumbent Judy Rolwing with 1,606 to 1,229 votes.
In a narrow race for the position of circuit clerk, Leigh Ann Colson garnered 1,431 votes to her opponent, Dottie McKenzie's 1,396.
There was a three-way race for presiding commissioner. Jack Feezor received 1,247 votes while Darrell Jones received 1,092, and 466 were cast for Ronnie L. Jones. The next presiding commissioner will not be decided until the November election, however, when Feezor takes on Carlin Bennett, who filed as a Republican and received 151 votes, and Danny Norman, who filed last week as an Independent and did not appear on Tuesday's ballot.
In the race for county clerk, incumbent Hubert "Junior" DeLay received 1,761 votes over his opponent, Clinton Wolford's 1,033.
Ann McCuiston beat opponent Angie Ward Stinnett in the race for county collector with 1,672 votes to Stinnett's 1,106. Also, incumbent county treasurer Sandra Smoot Morrow garnered 1,891 votes to Tonya Triplett Pullen's 835.
There were two uncontested county races -- Associate Circuit Court Judge Lynn Brown received 2,227 votes while 2,221 were cast for Prosecuting Attorney Darren Cann. Neither faces an opponent on the November ballot.
In East Prairie, voters overwhelmingly chose to keep the position of city marshal an elected job, not one that is appointed by the city's Board of Alderman, with 440 no votes and 198 in favor of Proposition 1.