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Thanks to the Greene County Commission, executive body of government in Greene County, for its annual support of extension. |
Greene County Election 2004 Online voting report: Greene
County's Online Extension Council Election Results in 234 Total
Votes and Significant Cost Savings Greene County’s County Extension Council
election ended at 5 p.m. on Jan. 23 with 160 valid ballots cast
online and sent by e-mail. A total of 230 ballots were cast this year (66
handed in or sent in my mail, eight faxed in and 160 by e-mail),
which was under last year’s record of 305 ballots cast but well
ahead of ballot totals in past years. The election, held Jan. 18 to Jan. 23, allowed
voters to cast traditional paper ballots or vote via e-mail by
visiting http://outreach.missouri.edu/greene. This was Missouri's
first online election and the process ran smoothly, meeting all of
the goals the local extension council had set for it. "Online voting allowed for good voter
participation, reached some new voters and decreased travel for some
folks who have traditionally voted at our office in person. In the
process and it also saved the local extension council about $600
which is what had been spent in the past on printing and mailing out
1,300 ballots," said David Burton, civic communication
specialist, University of Missouri Extension. Burton also noted that most of the ballots
submitted were cast correctly, but not all. “We had 12 ballots
that were missing either a voter identification number or a name and
address of the voter, so those couldn’t be counted. We also had
seven ballots cast that were left blank,” said Burton. So
far, the online system has received high praise from those who used
it. “It was quick and painless and something I could do from
home,” said Julie Davis, a Greene County resident and employee of
the Family Nutrition Education Program in Springfield. One
of the main public use sites for online voting this year was going
to be The Library Center on South Campbell in Springfield. Signs had
been prepared for each of the 30 public-use computers there
explaining to users how they could help make history by voting
online. “I’m
sure having The Library Center closed all week because of the fire
there impacted our final total vote tally, but there is no way to
tell by how much,” said Burton. “Either way, I feel confident
that our extension council will want to use the same process next
year.” The official count of the paper ballots, done
under the direction of Greene County’s County Clerk, will take
place at 3 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 27, in the county extension offices
at 833 Boonville, Springfield, Mo. "The last votes had to be cast online by
5 p.m. on Jan. 23 or postmarked by then. We are waiting until
Tuesday to do the count to make sure any ballots that were mailed to
us are received. We will have the election results that evening
around 5 p.m.,” said Burton. Every county in Missouri has a publicly elected extension council
and elections are typically held during the third week in January. Council members are elected to two-year terms to
represent the broad educational needs and backgrounds of people in
Greene County. University
of Missouri Extension offers educational programs addressing
high-priority areas like agriculture, horticulture, nutrition,
consumer and family economics, business and industry, community
development and youth development (4-H). County
extension councils (mandated by state statutes) are the governing
body for local educational opportunities provided by University
of Missouri Extension. Council members work with extension faculty
in making decisions concerning extension programs, personnel,
council elections and the local extension budget.
FOR
INFORMATION
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David L. Burton, BurtonD@missouri.edu |
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