Voters report smooth process casting ballots in Columbia
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia voters told ABC 17 News on Tuesday that casting their ballots went smoothly.
Tuesday is election day for all municipal elections throughout Mid-Missouri and across the state.
Polls opened at 6 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m.; voters must bring a photo ID.
Voters in Boone County can go to the Boone County Government Center, Woodcrest Chapel and Friendship Baptist Church to cast their ballots. Turnout was 8.6% in Boone County at 1 p.m., according to the county clerk's office.
Voters told ABC 17 News that casting their ballots on Election Day was a quick and easy process—taking less than 5 minutes, with little to no wait in line.
Dan Killebrew, who voted alongside his wife, said this was their first local election since moving to Columbia less than a year ago. The couple chose the city as their retirement destination and have been pleased with the transition.
“It was really quick and easy,” Killebrew said about the voting process.
Longtime Columbia resident Leslie Slade said her hopes for the city go far beyond the ballot. Slade, who has lived in Columbia for 35 years, called it a great place to raise children and praised the community’s access to resources. However, she also expressed concerns about systemic discrimination in the workplace.
"It is still heavy and strong here, no matter what area of employment," Slade said. "They think you're supposed to stay in the position for like 20 years before you get an opportunity, and that's not cool. That's not true."
Slade said she hopes this election brings real change to Columbia and addresses inequities that persist across different industries.
If you live in Cole County, you can go to the Courthouse Annex in downtown Jefferson City on East High Street and several other polling locations, depending on your location, which can be found here. Cole County is expecting an average voter turnout of 10%-12%.
Callaway County voters can cast ballots at the clerk's office located in the old county courthouse on 5th Street in Fulton.
Boone County broke its record for the most in-person votes cast during no-excuse absentee voting and about 600 of those votes were over the weekend. According to Lennon, about 4,300 absentee ballots had been submitted, with nearly 3,600 of those cast in person.
"So the biggest thing is that we've see a lot of increase in our absentee numbers, our in-person absentee numbers for the two weeks leading up to Election Day," County Clerk Brianna Lennon said.
