Buchanan County sees surge in voter turnout

Apr. 3—More residents seemingly wanted their voices to be heard on Tuesday, as voter turnout in the general municipal election exceeded last year's by nearly 10%.

Buchanan County saw 22.5% voter turnout on April 2, which was a jump from the 12.6% mark in April 2023. County Clerk Mary Baack-Garvey expected low voter turnout again this year and set a more modest goal of 15% participation before the election, but residents exceeded those expectations.

"That's always a good thing," she said. "I like to be wrong and have the voters prove me wrong when they come out and vote, so I was very happy with the 22.5% turnout."

Baack-Garvey said when there is a hot-button issue on the ballot, such as school board seats, it drives voters to the polls.

"There was a lot of hype with the school board race, so I could see why my prediction was lower than what happened," she said. "When you have the hype out there, that's when the turnout comes up."

The school board race was among the reasons St. Joseph resident Tom Boller came out to vote.

"Mainly, of course, the school bond and members of the school board, but all the other issues," he said. "The one on the judge being changed to basically having to retire at 70, I honestly didn't agree with. I wanted to have my say on that as well."

Boller said he votes often and misses very few local elections to show support for the community and its people. He said the increase in voter turnout this year was a nice leap.

"I think it's just a good sign that people are concerned, and wanting their voice heard, and wanting to show support for the things that matter in our community," he said.

Baack-Garvey said the voter participation on Tuesday gives her plenty of hope for future elections because the county has not seen over 20% turnout in a few years. Buchanan County saw 26.75% voter participation in the 2021 general municipal election.

"Kudos to our Buchanan County voters, and let's see what we can do in August," Baack-Garvey said.