JOHNSON COUNTY — Although there are several highly-followed contested races in Warrensburg, absentee voting has been lower than usual for the April 5 municipal election.
As of Thursday afternoon, Johnson County Clerk Diane Thompson said her office has received 235 absentee ballots, which includes 52 who voted in person. That compares to 487 in April 2021 and 493 in the June 2020 municipal election, which was delayed from April 2020 due to the pandemic.
Registered voter turnout has hovered between 12% and 14% over the last few municipal elections. According to Thompson, turnout was 12.6% in 2019, 13.4% in 2020 and just over 12% in 2021, which included a county-wide sales tax question.
“I’m hoping for a little higher turnout this election,” Thompson said. “I think with the city races that people are taking a lot of interest in, I think that’ll bring our overall turnout up across the board.”
Thompson encouraged voters to review their sample ballot before heading to their poll on Election Day. Sample ballots can be found on jococourthouse.com. Page 16 in today’s Star-Journal features a sample ballot with all county races. Thompson said voters can also call her office to request a sample ballot be mailed or emailed to them, or voters can pick one up at the courthouse.
Thompson also reminded voters that electioneering is not allowed. This includes not wearing campaign hats, shirts, buttons or other items for candidates or issues on the April 5 ballot. She said it’s to avoid influencing other voters in the polling locations.
“I encourage voters to take a few minutes to vote on the local districts that will be representing them and the closest level of government that will be impacting their lives, which is our local boards,” Thompson said. “April elections don’t always get the attention they deserve from voters, but these are the entities that make the biggest impact on our daily lives.”
New voter registration for the municipal election ended March 9, but if a voter has moved within Johnson County, they can update their address even on Election Day.
In-person absentee voting at the Clerk’s Office on the second floor of the Johnson County Courthouse, 300 N. Holden St. in Warrensburg, is available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 2, and from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, April 4.
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Election Day. Voters can check to see if they are registered and view a sample ballot at jococourthouse.com. For more information, visit jococourthouse.com or facebook.com/DianeThompsonCountyClerk or call 660-747-7414.
The following candidates and issues will be on Johnson County ballots, although ballots will vary depending on where a voter lives.
Warrensburg City Council (two seats)
Eddie Osborne
Bryan Jacobs
Peggy Lasater
Bruce D. Uhler
Anthony “Townie” Clevenger
Peter Zwally
Scott Holmberg (incumbent)
Warrensburg Board of Education (two seats)
Matt Sergent (incumbent)
Julie Lewis (incumbent)
James Miller
Angela Tayloe
City of Knob Noster Ward 1 Alderman
Perry Byerly
Misty Thomas (incumbent)
Johnson County Ambulance District Sub-District 5
Benjamin Fundaburg
Violet J. Corbett (incumbent)
Emergency Services Board Eastern Commissioner
Kimberly Lockard
Raymond L. James
Western Missouri Medical Center Board of Trustees
Liz Fatka (incumbent)
Madison Harter
Leeton Board of Education (two seats)
Brian R. Uptegrove (incumbent)
Tommy Lake Jr.
Larry "Jake" Corson
City of Leeton Alderman At Large (two seats)
Barry Uptegrove (incumbent)
Russell Norris
Randell Huggins
Ray Briscoe
Doyle E. Weeks Sr.
Julie Getz
Elizabeth "Liz" Weeks
Sharon Manford
Carol Mallory-Luppens
Jeremy Knox (incumbent)
Larry Miller
Rusty Kephart (incumbent)
Allen Mensch
Naomi Chastain
Holden Board of Education (two seats)
Gerilynn Hoover
Sarah Abel (incumbent)
Dillon Zavadil
Travis Coones
Nathan Haun
Bill Stackhouse
Aaron Hynds
Shall the City of Leeton, Missouri be authorized to forgo annual elections if the number of candidates who have filed for a particular office is equal to the number of positions in the office to be filled by the election?
Shall the City of Centerview, Missouri be authorized to forgo annual elections if the number of candidates who have filed for a particular office is equal to the number of positions in the office to be filled by the election?
City of Centerview Question 2
Shall the City of Centerview impose a local use tax at the same rate as the total local sales tax rate, provided that if the local sales tax rate is reduced or raised by voter approval, the local use tax rate shall also be reduced or raised by the same action?
Shall the City of Chilhowee, Missouri be authorized to forgo annual elections if the number of candidates who have filed for a particular office is equal to the number of positions in the office to be filled by the election?
Shall the City of Knob Noster, Missouri appoint a Chief of Police who shall perform all the duties of the City Marshal as authorized by Section 79.050 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri? If approved, the appointment of a Chief of Police will take effect after the current City Marshal's term has ended or, if not City Marshal is elected on April 5, 2022, then upon the appointment of a Chief of Police.
Holden School District Proposition Forward
Shall the Board of Education of the Holden R-III School District, Missouri, without an estimated increase in the current debt service property tax levy, borrow money in the amount of Eight Million Dollars ($8,000,000) for the purpose of providing funds to implement District-wide safety and security improvements; to complete energy efficiency upgrades to the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and lighting; to repair and replace roofs; to patch and pave parking lots and bus drives; to construct a District storage facility; to improve technology infrastructure; to construct, update, and/or improve the playground and athletic facilities; to the extent funds are available, complete other repairs and improvements to the existing facilities of the District; and issue general obligation bonds for the payment thereof? If this proposition is approved, the adjusted debt service levy of the School District is estimated to remain unchanged at $0.9094 per one hundred dollars of assess valuation of real and personal property.
