High traffic at polls in Bates County yesterday

Bates County Clerk Marlene Wainscott is reporting a 74% voter turnout yesterday, making it one of the highest turnouts in recent history.

With coffee pots warmed, most folks in the clerk's office were set for a long evening- but instead were headed home well ahead of an anticipated schedule as returns made their way into the building on short order.

Starting at the top, Bates County chose Romney over Obama almost 2 to 1, but most local races ran much closer with Scott over Weil by less than a 20% margin; Schowengerdt over Mullinax by about 1/3; and the cigarette tax proposition failing by a vote of nearly 2 to 1. By contrast, Prop's A and E pass by about a 1/3 margin.

Here again are the final, unofficial numbers:

President:Obama/Biden (D) 2557
Romney/Ryan (R) 5020
Johnson/Gray (L) 157
GoodeClymer (C) 37
write in 30

U.S. Senator:
McCaskill (D) 3716
Akin (R) 3345
Dine (L) 637
write in 4

Governor:
Nixon (D) 3972
Spence (R) 3513
Higgins (L) 243
write in 1

Lieutenant Governor:
Montee (D) 2914
Kinder (R) 4148
Copple (L) 214
Davis (C) 291
write in 1

Secretary of State:
Kander (D) 3348
Schoeller (R) 3878
Spragins (L) 196
Harter (C) 94
write in 3

State Treasurer:
Zweifel (D) 3314
McNary (R) 3785
O'Toole (L) 350
write in 0

Attorney General:
Koster (D) 4193
Martin (R) 3189
Browning (L) 236
write in 0

U.S. Representative District 4:
Hensley (D) 2789
Hartzler (R) 4599
Holbrook (L) 191
Cowan (C) 68
write in 1

State Senator District 31:
Burton (D) 2897
Emery (R) 4618
write in 7

State Representative District 56:
Johnson (D) 126
Molendorp (R) 183
write in 0

State Representative District 57:
Bullock (D) 103
Brown (R) 162
write in 0

State Representative District 126:
Pike (R) 5897
write in 123

Circuit Judge Circuit 27:
Journey (D) 5883
write in 104

Northern Commissioner:
Scott (D) 2934
Weil (R) 2431
write in 5

Southern Commissioner:
Berry (D) 1662
write in 27

Sheriff:
Anderson (D) 6134
write in 165

Assessor:
Pruden (D) 6188
write in 82

Collector/Treasurer:
Platt (D) 6324
write in 66

Public Administrator:
Cumpton (D) 6040
write in 74

Coroner:
Schowengerdt (D) 4570
Mullinax (R) 3067
write in 5

Surveyor:
Lethcho (D) 6076
write in 74

Retain Draper?
Yes 4430
No 2315

Retain Martin:
Yes 4455
No 2281

Retain Newton?
Yes 4349
No 2286

Retain Witt:
Yes 4346
No 2265

Amendment 3:
Yes 1486
No 5747

Proposition A:
Yes 4047
No 2967

Proposition B:
Yes 2878
No 4737

Proposition E:
Yes 4541
No 2690

Drexel Tax question:
Yes 25
No 19