ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The Election Board says a one-two punch helped Tishaura Jones win the mayor's race Tuesday by a margin of about 2,300 votes out of some 58,000 cast.
First it was the absentee votes.
Jones leaped into the lead by 950 votes when the absentee votes were announced – almost half of her margin of victory.
"It's a nice little cushion to start your run in the count on election day," said Republican Director of Elections Gary Stoff.
Then, Jones racked up large chunks of votes on the north side, winning some wards by margins as high as 85 percent.
"Jones had very, very strong support on the north side that was a little larger than the support that Cara Spencer enjoyed on the south side , and that was the margin of victory," Stoff said.
The wildcard in Tuesday's election was voter turnout.
Only 29 percent of registered voters showed up, compared to 77 percent during the November Presidential election.
Stoff was asked if voter apathy was the deciding factor in the mayor's race.
"I don't know that voter apathy really decided the election because... of that 70 percent, the question is would more have voted for one candidate than the other?" Stoff said.
© 2021 KMOX (Audacy). All rights reserved
