Municipal Election judges across four counties protected by plexiglass partitions, face masks, and state-provided cleaning supplies saw few voters Tuesday especially in rural precincts.

“The best turnout will be right here in town,” said Gasconade County Clerk Lesa Lietzow about the Hermann polling with a mayor’s race and the contested first ward. “Twenty to 25 (percent) at best. It will be lower everywhere else. Ten to 15 (percent) at best. If your best is 25 that doesn’t bode well for everybody else.”

Gasconade County voters went to the polls during a COVID-19 pandemic threat for a rescheduled April election on June 2, posting a turnout of only 17.76  percent across the county.

Three Gasconade County precincts weren’t even open due to lack of ballot issues with no contested races in the portion of the Gasconade County R-1 School District not inside Hermann city limits.

One issue which did draw some local interest was a $5.5 million sewer revenue bond in the Peaceful Valley lake community. A simple majority vote was required for the Public Water Supply District No. 1 question. It passed on a unanimous vote, 90 to 0, among the 214 residents registered voters eligible to cast ballots. That’s 90 to zero.

“God bless America and our freedoms,” exclaimed Peaceful Valley resident Jill Colley as she cast her ballot Tuesday morning at Woollam United Methodist Church on Route Y in the Third Creek precinct northwest of Owensville.

Her ballot was initially rejected by the tabulation machine but when called back in, and given the chance to darken her circles, accepted.

Asked if fellow lake residents would support the proposal, Colley said, “Absolutely. Have to.”

She was the 19th person to vote that morning at the rural church.

Signs placed around the lake community all asked for support of the question. No signs expressing opposition were observed during a partial drive-around of the lake community.

R-2 voters chose three

Gasconade County R-2 School District voters selected incumbent Glenn Ely but incumbent Nona Miller will not retain her seat.

Voters approved Ely with 606 votes between Gasconade and Franklin counties. Jason Crowe, a Franklin County resident in the Gerald community, received 509 votes between the two counties. Also elected in her first bid for school board was retired music teacher Jean Baker with 463 votes between the two counties.

Miller received 316 votes in  the two counties. Kara Meyer had 271. Dennis Frahm, another retired teacher who announced he was not a contestant after the ballots were printed received 130 votes.

Rosebud Ward 2 Alderman incumbent Kelly Kuhrts was re-elected by a 43-14 vote over challenger Tonya Zelch-Wagner.

Gerald voters approve Prop. 1

In the Gerald Ward 1 Alderman race, Stephen M. Grgurich defeated Brad Landwehr 30-15 with two write-in votes also cast. Ward 2 saw Ed Adams run uncontested receiving 16 votes compared to three write-ins. Proposition 1 in Gerald passed by a vote of 46-25 margin,extending the city’s half-cent transportation sales tax for street improvement.

Hermann approves sleeping bed tax increase

Hermann voters approved a 2-percent tax levy increase (from 3 to 5 percent) for all sleeping rooms by a vote of 396 to 223. The tax increase takes effect Jan. 1, 2021. The tax will be spend solely for promoting tourism.

Hermann voters also selected Bruce Cox as their new mayor. He defeated Brian Chorley 386 to 236.

Susan Lenger won the Ward 2 Hermann seat 192 to 123 over Scott McGarrah.

Turnout low, too, in Bland

The city of Bland’s only town precinct was averaging only four voters an hour Tuesday at 4 p.m., polling judges said, adding that they had 44 ballots cast so far.

Officials re-arranged the polling facility to allow for social distancing. Voters signed their names to the books that were pushed through the bottom of plexiglass windows and were encouraged to keep their same pens throughout the entire process. The second judge issued them a ballot, and they were sent to one of three stations.

When they completed the ballot, the 65 voters would walk around a table and cast it in the automatic counter, then hand their pen back to a judge to be sanitized.

Polling judges estimated a shorter results turn-around with the low number of ballots cast. Ballot language included incumbent Mayor Lee Medlock’s bid for reelection running unopposed and appointed incumbent Alderman Jane Vandegriffe also running unopposed. A third alderman seat did not have any candidates so an open writing in election was in place.

Proposition 1, requesting citizens to approve the city marshal’s position to be appointed instead of elected, was approved 29 to 9.