Instead of circles to fill in or chads to punch out, voters in Mid-Missouri towns such as Hallsville and Hartsburg were faced with blank lines Tuesday.
Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said in a small town like Hartsburg, this is tradition.
"So, if you look back at any of our previous April election results, you will see how people have voted as write-ins for in Hartsburg, and you’ll see the same names over and over again," Lennon said.
The county clerk's office must then validate each name, checking for inconsistencies, such as nicknames or misspellings. If any are found, the ballot is sent back to the city to decide whether those votes count for any candidate. That means it’ll be days before a winner is known.
