The Missouri primary election on Tuesday met expectations, with a solid voter turnout in Jackson County that some officials predict could be record-breaking. One of those dedicated area voters was a college student from Pleasant Hill who drove seven hours roundtrip to cast his ballot.
"I said I'm just gonna hop in my car and come home and vote," said Noah Dayson, who drove from Kirksville, Missouri, to vote because he failed to turn in his absentee ballot.
"Got all my dates mixed up. Pretty irresponsible on my part ... voter apathy's kinda a big problem, especially with people my age. I figured why be part of the problem," he said.
Some election officials projected a turnout of 35 percent on Tuesday, a great number for a primary but nowhere near the 65 percent they normally see in the general election in November.
"That's low, but still, 35 percent of a couple hundred thousand. That's a lot of people today getting out and voting," Shawn Kieffer, the Republican director of elections, said.
What will help increase voter turnout? Utilizing current technology.
Tom Wyrsch, chairman of the Jackson County Democratic committee, is in favor of using cell phones in order to vote, but only once the option is secure.
"I think that's not too far off. I think it's the safe guards," he said.
Dayson too wishes he had the cell phone or Internet option to cast his vote instead of driving seven hours. However, he also understands the safety of doing things the old-fashioned way.
"Online voting and voting not in person brings up more problems there aren't exactly answers to. So while it would be great, it's not something that should be rushed," he said.
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Josh Helmuth can be reached at josh.helmuth@kshb.com.
