Howard County Clerk Shelly Howell is predicting 75% voter turnout for next week’s midterm election, well above the 56.65% the county recorded in the last midterm.

Howell said the contested race for Howard County Treasurer between Republican Stacie McCutcheon and Independent Sarah Thompson and the Missouri House District 48 contest between Fayette Democrat Hope Tinker and three-term Republican incumbent Tim Taylor of Bunceton will drive voter turnout.

Howell said she expects proposed Amendment 3 and Amendment 6 will further attract voters.

In the November 8, 2022, general election, 3,872 of Howard County’s 6,835 registered voters cast ballots, for a 56.65% turnout. That was higher than the statewide figure of roughly 49%, based on approximately 2,069,130 ballots cast in the U.S. Senate race, according to the Missouri Secretary of State’s office.

Polls on November 3 are open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. Mark Belcher will again cry the county election results from the courthouse steps as precincts report. Results will also be posted to the Advertiser’s Facebook page the moment they are tallied. Ballots appear on Page 13 of this newspaper.

The Clerk’s office is open for in-person absentee voting in the Howard County Courthouse from 8:15 a.m. until 4:15 p.m. Monday through Friday and will be open on Saturday, October 31, from 8 a.m. to noon and from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. for voting on Monday, November 2.