An error on the ballot that will be given to voters in Gerald next Tuesday was discovered by the Republican yesterday afternoon while preparing this article. The term of office for the mayor of Gerald is listed as one year on the ballot, it should have been two.

A call to the Franklin County Clerk, who is in charge of elections revealed that it is too late to correct any errors on the ballot. County Clerk Tim Baker said he will need guidance from the Secretary of State on exactly what this means. Baker said the ballot language was taken directly from documents submitted by the City of Gerald. 

City Clerk Be Ahring confirmed that she inadvertently submitted the documents with the incorrect term of office, but is grateful there will be no real damage from her mistake. 

After researching the issue, Baker called the Republican with his findings. While he had not yet spoken with the Secretary of State, he had found some guidance in the Missouri Statutes. RSMo 79.050 states that ballot language cannot change the term of elected municipal officials. Therefore, Baker is confident the next Gerald mayor will serve a full two-year term. His staff will place signs indicating this throughout the polling place, including in each voting booth. 

The April 6 General Municipal Election will be held next Tuesday. The polling place for Gerald voters will be the St. Gerald Catholic Church fellowship hall, 402 E. Fitzgerald Ave. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. for registered voters to cast their ballots.

According to the Franklin County Clerk, Gerald residents will vote for the following candidates:

ALDERMAN WARD 1: 2 YEAR TERM, 

VOTE FOR 1

Angela Koepke 1118 S Bernhardt Ave, Gerald 63037

ALDERMAN WARD 2: 2 YEAR TERM, VOTE FOR 1

Corey Novotney 511 W Springfield Ave, Gerald 63037

MAYOR: 1 YEAR TERM, 

VOTE FOR 1

Annette Justus 616 S Cedar St, Gerald 63037

Bradley Landwehr 1216 S Bernhardt Ave, Gerald 63037

GERALD AREA AMBULANCE DISTRICT:

DIRECTOR, SUBDISTRICT 2: 

3 YEAR TERM, VOTE FOR 1

Gary Koepke 1118 S Bernhardt, Gerald 63037

Otis Schulte 105 Keagan Pl, Gerald 63037

Only the incumbents on the board of directors for the Gasconade County R-2 School District filed for their seats. This means they will automatically be sworn in to continue their service. Their names will not appear on the ballot. 

Subdistrict 2 in the Gerald Area Ambulance District is comprised of only residents within the city limits of Gerald. 

This results in an unusual situation where there is nothing on the ballot for Gerald out-of-town voters. 

It is still important for every registered voter in Gerald to find the time to cast a ballot for their favored candidate.