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Cape Girardeau Voters Go To The Polls

Jacob McCleland
/
KRCU

Strong turnout is expected as voters cast their ballots in today’s election.

Cape Girardeau physician Bruce Jones voted at the Westminster Presbyterian Church on Perryville Road. He cast his ballot for Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney instead of Barack Obama.

“I looked at the Democratic side. I looked at what Obama has done over the last four years and I really was pretty positive on him for about a year and a half,” Dr. Jones said. “I think the biggest thing that scares me right now is our debt and our overspending.”

Dr. Jones said it the most difficult decision for him was the choice at the top of the ballot.

“I still wanted to believe that things could be changed,” Jones said, “but the overspending of the government is kind of pathetic.”

Carol Jones also voted for Romney. In the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill and Republican challenger Todd Akin, Jones chose Akin.

“I think he just made that slip up of a mistake,” Jones said, referring to Akin’s “legitimate rape” comment. “When I think who we would have other than him, I knew we had to have him.”

Southeast Missouri State University freshman Lindsey Seabaugh said she planned to vote for the first time this election. The pre-veterinary student said she favors Romney because he supports the same values. 

In U.S. Senate race, Seabaugh will vote for McCaskill.

“She has and she has a lot of experience with what she is doing, even though she is more of a Democrat than what Todd Akin is,” Seabaugh said.

Seabaugh said Mr. Akin’s rape comments were not the deciding factor in choosing Senator McCaskill because she feels Akin simply misspoke.

Kamille Pressley studies public relations at Southeast Missouri State University, and will cast her ballot for Barack Obama.

“With the school aspect, he’s not trying to fight against financial aid and I’m trying to be in school for a pretty long time,” Pressley said. 

She will also vote for Claire McCaskill.

Egbar Ozenkoski is a graduate assistant at Southeast. He said he does not typically identify as either Republican or Democrat, but in this election he tended to vote Democrat. That included a vote for Barack Obama.

“I wish that I could fiscally support Romney, but I don’t think that he has put enough of his specific items out there for me to support the claims that he’s making. What exactly are his five points? I’m not sure. I wish I did.”

Ozenkoski said the choice between McCaskill and Akin was much easier. “I think Todd Akin is a little bit crazy, to be honest,” he said. “He’s a little too far out there for me.”

Some voters eschewed both Democrats and Republicans. Andrew Bard owns Computer 21 and voted for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. Bard said it’s amazing to him the same two parties have been in control for decades.

“Nobody has actually done anything but help themselves. So how anyone can sit there and be so affiliated with their party to think that this time is going to be any different makes absolutely no sense to me. But people are what they are,” Bard said.

Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan predicted voter turnout will reach 72 percent. Cape Girardeau County Clerk Kara Clark Summers predicts even higher turnout locally. She believes up to 74 percent of registered voters will cast their ballots.