Boone, Cole county clerks expect low turnout for Tuesday’s elections
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The county clerks of Mid-Missouri’s two-largest counties are expecting low-voter turnout on Tuesday.
Boone and Cole counties have several items up for a vote on Tuesday, including voting for school board members in several districts, propositions and people running for city government. You can view everything being voted on at our Voter Guide.
Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon told ABC 17 News that she expects 12% of voters to turn out for the election. Boone County has had 1,400 absentee voters, with 900 occurring in person and 500 by mail, Lennon said.
During the November 2025 elections, there was a 25.16% turnout, though only 5,743 voters in two precincts were eligible to vote in that election. The August 2025 election saw a 12.59% turnout in Boone County out of 125,645 registered voters. The April 2025 election — which included the Columbia mayoral race — saw a 25.23% voter turnout.
The November 2024 election — which included the presidential election — had a 67.95% voter turnout, while the August primary had a 24.58% turnout and the April 2024 election was 16.37%.
Cole County
The Cole County Director of Elections Matt Musselman told ABC 17 News on Monday the county is expecting a 14% turnout. Musselman said there have been 511 total absentee ballots cast so far, with 269 voting in person and 242 occurring by mail.
The November 2025 election saw a 15.63% turnout, though that election had just one question and 28,192 eligible voters. The April 2025 election saw an 8.2% voter turnout,
The November 2024 election had a 73.3% turnout in Cole County, while the August primary had a 33.63% turnout and the April 2024 election had 14.81%.