St. Louis Beacon - Only a quarter of Missouri voters expected to cast ballots next Tuesday

Inform our coverage: Where's your favorite wintertime farmers' market? | What's it like to be 65 or better in 2012?

Home

Cialis Online

Only a quarter of Missouri voters expected to cast ballots next Tuesday

By Jo Mannies, Beacon political reporter

Posted 7:02 am Tue., 7.27.10

Based on projections from local elections officials, Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan is estimating that less than a quarter -- 24 percent -- of Missouri's registered voters will turn out next Tuesday.

In the St. Louis area, the turnout predictions ranged from only 19.26 percent in St. Louis to 25.41 percent in St. Louis County and 27.78 percent in St. Charles County. Even Jefferson County, which has a spirited Democratic primary for county executive, is projecting less than 20 percent of its voters will cast ballots.

Across the state, Kansas City is predicting a turnout of only 10 percent.

The larger projected turnouts are generally all in rural Missouri, where some counties expect half or more of their voters to show up.

Low turnouts in urban areas, coupled with higher ones in GOP-leaning rural Missouri, could be good news for backers of Proposition C, the ballot proposal that in effect asks voters if they want to opt out of the federal health-care changes. Republicans initiated Proposition C, and the measure is supported by various conservative groups, including the Libertarian Party.

Stronger turnouts by Republican-leaning voters could affect local ballot measures -- such as proposed tax hikes or bond issues -- around the state.

Only registered users can comment on an article. Please login or register.

JComments

Editors' Picks

Nation
- States and banks negotiate $25 billion deal to help homeowners: The agreement is the broadest effort yet to help borrowers owing more than their houses are worth. | New York Times
- Public approval rating for Congress sinks to record low 10 percent in new Gallup poll: The average job approval rating for all of 2011 was 17 percent. | Politico
- House bill would give president line-item veto: Currently, the president must sign or veto spending bills in their entirety. | AP
- Federal appeals court panel strikes down California's ban on same-sex marriage: The 2-1 decision by a panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court clears the way for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule as early as next year. LA Times
Region
- Less-intrusive screening for some passengers coming to Lambert, other airports: There will be no cost to eligible passengers, who would no longer have to remove their shoes and belts before they board flights. | AP
- Missouri teen gets life in prison, with possibility of parole, for killing her young neighbor: Alyssa Bustamante was 15 years old in 2009 when she killed 9-yaer-old Elizabeth Olten because she wanted to know how it would feel. | AP/Columbia Daily Tribune
- Lakin to spend additional year behind bars: The former Madison County powerbroker's federal sentence was extended following his guilty plea to state sex charges. | Belleville News-Democrat
- Missouri House gives first-round approval to voter ID bill, 105-54: Backers say requiring people to show a photo ID is a common-sense guard against voter fraud. | AP/Springfield News-Leader
World
- After more shelling in Syria, Assad accused of genocide: Dozens are said to have died in sustained attack on city of Homs. | Telegraph
- Last known living World War I veteran dies at age 110: Florence Green was serving with the Women's Royal Air Force as a waitress at an air base in eastern England when the guns fell silent on Nov. 11, 1918. | AP
- After weeks of protest, first democratically elected president of Maldives resigns: Mohamed Nasheed told a televised news conference, "I don't want to run the country with an iron fist." | LA Times
- Greek leaders seek agreement on cutbacks to avert bankruptcy: A general strike disrupted public services and thousands of protesters took to the streets of Athens. | AP
Econ.
- Driven by demand for auto and student loans, Americans borrowed more than expected in December: An improving job market may be giving households the courage to take on more debt in order to sustain spending. | Bloomberg
- Job openings increased in December by the most in almost a year: The number of positions waiting to be filled climbed by 258,000, the biggest gain since February 2011, to 3.38 million. | Bloomberg
- Home sales rise in December to their highest level since last January: Historically low mortgage rates and a pickup in employment may be giving Americans the confidence to purchase homes that have fallen in value. | Bloomberg
- New claims for jobless aid fall by 52,000, more than expected, to lowest level since April 2008: Another report showed the cost of living was little changed in December for a second month as stores cut prices to boost holiday sales. | Bloomberg
Edu.
- Nixon restores $40 million to his budget request for higher education: The money is part of a foreclosure settlement Missouri will get from the nation's five largest banks. | Columbia Daily Tribune
- Entire staff of LA elementary school is replaced during abuse investigation: Two teachers have been accused of lewd acts against students. | LA Times
- Nixon says Missouri universities should not make up lost state funding with big tuition hikes: He said they should try to keep increases at no more than annual cost of living. | AP/Springfield News-Leader
- Students in St. Joseph want to make jumping jacks the official state exercise of Missouri: They pressed a state representative to introduce the bill, saying it honors a Missouri war hero, John J. Pershing, reportedly, the inventor of the jumping jack. KBIA/KWMU

'The Road Show' improv

Brent Jones | St. Louis Beacon

This Saturday was the debut of a new show by The Improv Shop that will bring out of town improv teams to St. Louis to play for — and with — a local audience. The Road Show brought teams "Everybody Grok" and "Felt" from Chicago.

We talked to Eric Christensen, producer of the Road Show and member of local improv team "Ted Dangerous"; Katie Nunn, member of "Ted Dangerous" and improv coach; and Melanie Penn and Ranjan Khan, members of local teams "Melanj" and "Magic Ratio"; about the St. Louis improv scene and why it's important to welcome teams from other cities to perform here.

See a larger version of the slideshow

Beacon Backroom Blogroll

Topics

Emergency preparation still lagging in St. Louis

This two-part series looks at the region's preparation for a major earthquake, tornado, epidemic illness or other disaster. Read more about St. Louis and disasters .

See all featured topics stories

Please note: The times shown on this page are correct for St. Louis time. The times shown when you click on an event are calculated by Google based on your time zone settings, if you are signed in to Google Calendar. If you are not signed in to Google Calendar, the times are shown in GMT, which is currently five hours ahead of St. Louis

Local advertising by PaperG

Learn more

Cialis Online

Editors' Picks

'The Road Show' improv

Beacon Backroom Blogroll

Topics

Barroom Conversations