Although Gasconade County’s voter turnout in the Nov. 3 General Election was slightly below the 75-percent prediction, the process was relatively smooth.

Two ballot machines shut down prior to the 6 a.m. start but both started back up again in time to count the first ballots, according to County Clerk Lesa Lietzow. Another precinct reported a paper jam which was correctly quickly by resetting the machine.

“All very minor,” said Lietzow. “We’re happy with how everything went.”

Gasconade County voters posted a 73.89-percent turnout in nearly ideal weather conditions. Mild, mid-60s weather conditions greeted voters and dawn. Exceptional weather continued throughout the day and into the evening.

“Voting was steady, busy, but no excessive lines,” said Lietzow.

Eight of the county’s 16 voting precincts posted a turnout of 70 percent or better as 7.970 of the county’s 10,787 eligible votes cast ballots.

Drake precinct voters cast the highest percentage of votes, 79.63 percent, as 305 of the 385 registered voters went to the road department building. Three precincts reached 72 percent including Boulware as 72.23 percent of 443 registered voters (320) went to the Bay American Legion building to cast a ballot.

Voter turnout at the Third Creek precinct at Woollam United Methodist Church was 72.12 percent and those casting ballots at the Swiss firehouse turned out at a 72.11 percent clip.

Also topping a 70-percent turnout were the Tayloe precinct votes at St. John’s United Church of Christ at Bem (71.88), Rosebud residents at City Hall (71.66), Redbird voters at the Baptist camp (71.07 percent), and the Morrison/Rural Morrison voters at the community center (70.98 percent).

An extra set of election judges were stationed at the Little Berger precinct at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Hermann, Bland/Canaan at Zion Evangelical in Bland, and Rural Canaan at Owensville High School.

Turnout at Little Berger was 69.83 percent. The Bland/Canaan precinct posted  a 64.19-percent turnout and turnout at Rural Canaan was 65.88 percent.

Lietzow said while the turnout was lower than anticipated at some of the larger precincts, the numbers still warranted extra manpower to help with disinfecting polling booths, tables and markers used to mark ballots.

“The extra judges definitely were needed,” said Lietzow. “It seemed to go OK. They were busy and I think, being that this was the fourth election this year, and they are behind us as of that night, that’s a good thing.”

Owensville Ward 2 voters at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church’s Parish Center had a 60.39 percent turnout. Ward 1 Owensville voters had the lowest turnout as 56.08 percent, or 558 of 955 registered voters, casting ballots at First Assembly of God Church.

Hermann Ward 1 voters posted a 64.09 turnout and Ward 2 Hermann had a 59.33-percent turnout.

Turnout at the Gasconade/Stolpe precinct was 68.15 percent.

No military ballots were returned by the deadline on Friday so the vote count did not change from unofficial results released last Tuesday night. Results were certified as officials and final on Monday afternoon, said Lietzow.

Gasconade County residents overwhelmingly selected incumbent Republican Gov. Mike Parson over Democrat challenger Nicole Galloway 6,192 to 1,537.

County voters also had overwhelming support for incumbent President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, casting 6,222 votes for the Republican ticket compared to 1,601 votes for the Democrat challenger ticket of Joseph R. Biden and Kamala D. Harris.

Although the Trump/Pence ticket won handily in Missouri, Biden and Harris were declared the national winners on Nov. 7 with 306 Electoral College votes in their column. Trump had yet to concede the election and his campaign was still contesting the outcome through lawsuits in several key states as of Tuesday.

In the only ccounty-level contested Gasconade County race on Nov. 3, incumbent Southern District County Commissioner Jerry D. Lairmore, a Republican, won all seven precincts over Democrat challenger Jerry L. Spurgeon by a vote count of 2,855 to 1,139. That figure included a 222-157 margin in absentee ballots cast.

Bruce Sassmann, a Republican from Bland, easily won Gasconade County over Democrat Nancy J. Ragan, Vienna, for the 62nd House District seat. Sassmann had 3,437 votes to Ragan’s 905 in Gasconade County. His margin was similar across the six-county district.