Voter registration numbers increasing in several mid-Missouri counties

The deadline for voter registration is Wednesday, October 12th at 5 p.m, and several county clerk offices say voter registration has increased since the last election.

Boone, Cole and Callaway counties have seen an increase in overall registered voters compared to the past election.

Dr. Terry Smith, political analyst, said “I don’t find it surprising that voter registration is up, but a lot of that goes back to pre- convention time.”

Boone County clerk Wendy Noren says the number of “new registered voters” has gone down.

During the 2012 election, 9,454 new voter registered in Boone County, and currently that number is 5,949.

Cole County clerk Steve Korsmeyer said that typically, every presidential election, there is a higher turnout: “During the presidential election, there is usually a better turnout; we are expecting a 75 percent turnout in November.”

Dr. Terry Smith said that even though voter registration is increasing, “we need to wait and see what turnout is, because that’s the number that counts.”

Smith said that unlike other presidential and governor races, voters reasoning has changed. “People are voting personalities, and voting against something, not so much voting for a candidate, but voting against something.”

County clerks said that voter registration tends to increase during the August to October months.

If you are unsure if you can vote,you can verify that by by calling your local county clerk office.

“We really stress the importance of registering properly, those long lines during election time can be held up because people might have not had the proper paperwork done,” Korsmeyer said.