Landfill vote fails
Registered voters in Marion cast ballots Tuesday on the issue of whether the city should pursue negotiations to establish a landfill near Marion.
Results were 258 in favor, 357 opposed.
About 42 percent of registered voters, 615 of 1,464, cast ballots in the non-binding election.
All voters in North and South wards voted at Emmanuel Baptist Church. There were 307 voters from Marion North, and 280 from Marion South.
Nine provisional ballots were cast by residents who had moved but not re-registered. County Clerk and Chief Election Officer Carol Maggard, who agreed to oversee the election for the City of Marion, said she would recommend that the votes not be counted.
All costs for the election were paid by the city.
Maggard noted that all ballots were marked clearly. None were blank or had stray marks.
There were 37 advance ballots returned out of 53 provided to voters.
A counting board reviewed ballots and announced the results at 8:30 p.m. A small group of interested residents visited in the hallway while awaiting the results.
The vote is advisory. City officials do not have to abide by the result. Officials said they scheduled the election to determine the mood of the community.
Voter registration opens today, Wednesday. The next election — with results that are binding — is April 2. Larry McLain and Keith Collett are seeking the position of city finance commissioner.
