Bates County has spoken!

Those in and around the Bates County Clerk's Office last night kept vigil as the ballot boxes were unloaded and made their way inside the courthouse. Like clockwork, Clerk Marlene Wainscott and her staff swiftly went through the standard procedures, all the while knowing this election was a 'big un'...

photo by Kevin Stewart

There was some idle chat about anticipated voter turnout- normally, anything nearing 40% would be considered awesome. 

There were some good guesses on what it would be last night. 50%? Nah. 60%? Some shot higher than 70%, which was met with a little disbelief. 

Hey, no matter how many elections you've been through in your life, you have to admit this one was probably the most (searching for words here) crazy?

Needless to say, Bates Countians showed up in droves. Of the 10,666 registered voters, 8,152 dutifully went to the polls which resulted in a whopping 76.43% voter turnout. Bam!

Great job! And whether you agree with the winners or not, the people have spoken. Go ahead, pat yourself on the back. You deserve it.

Click here to check out the results from last night http://batescountynewswire.blogspot.com/2016/11/november-8th-2016-bates-county-election.html