<img src=" http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/election.gif " Border=0> 2:15 p.m. Voters forge ahead in rain to cast ballots

February 05, 2008 08:25 pm

— Rain hasn’t dampened election enthusiasm in rural Missouri.
Nancy Burks, of rural Anderson, weathered Tuesday’s rain to vote Republican.
Standing outside the McDonald County Library, Burks said she was “torn” between Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul but ultimately voted for Huckabee.
“It was a really tough call,” she said. “(Huckabee) is a little more mainstream.”
She said she did not fully support Huckabee’s stance on taxes but cited his stance on social issues. Burks opposes abortion and gay marriage.
Clifford Dingman and his wife, Lee Ann, both of Neosho, were among those hurrying through torrential rains to vote at the Lampo Community Building in Neosho.
The couple split along party lines.
Clifford Dingman said he voted Republican and for Ron Paul. Dingman has been impressed with Paul’s grasp of the issues, particularly economic. “The media has ignored him,” Clifford said of Paul.
Lee Ann Dingman said she voted Democratic for Barack Obama. The reason was simple. “To cancel out Hillary,” she said.