60/40 Details, A5
The Iola Register
Locally owned since 1867
Weekender Saturday, November 3, 2012
VOLLEYBALL Iola’s Driskel earns league honors See B1
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SEE YOU AT THE POLLS Murray an election stalwart By BOB JOHNSON bob@iolaregister.com
By BOB JOHNSON bob@iolaregister.com
Monday morning, volunteers will get the skinny on the responsibilities of being an election worker. The 43 election workers is a drastic reduction to yesteryear, when all of the county’s 21 precincts were staffed with a bare minimum of three workers. Iola had a polling place for each of its four wards. Decreased population and the advent of technology have coupled to warrant the changes. Now, Allen County has five polling places — Iola’s North Community Building, Humboldt’s First Baptist Church, Gas City Hall and the senior centers in Moran and LaHarpe. The consolidation of polls was a logical step, to save money and close voting stations where few people voted. County Clerk Sherrie Riebel, the county’s election officer, recalled one election at Mildred when during 12 hours only the three election workers voted. Riebel reminded voters are required to have a photo ID. Most people use a driver’s license, but any governmentissued ID, such as a passport or employee badge issued by
any local governing body, will work. As they have for years, voters are required to give their name and address and also sign an electronic tablet before receiving a ticket to receive the correct ballot. ALLEN COUNTY has 8,669 registered voters, 4,157 Republicans, 1,771 Democrats, 2,689 unaffiliated, 47 Libertarians and five with the Reform Party. Riebel anticipates 75 percent or more will vote, which is characteristic of a presidential election. In 2008, when President Barack Obama defeated Republican John McCain, a touch over 73 percent of Allen County’s registered voters went to the polls, 5,908 of 8,056. Only one local countywide election will be decided Tuesday. Undersheriff Bryan Murphy, a Republican, is opposed by Skyler Clark, who is unaffiliated, with the winner to succeed Tom Williams. Williams, completing his second four-year term as sheriff, also is on the ballot. He is unopposed for county commissioner for the Second See POLLS | Page A5
Warm memories, full stomachs By ALLISON TINN allison@iolaregister.com
Iolans shared a full meal and warm company at Thursday’s hobo soup dinner, and in true hobo spirit all were welcomed. A mixture of vegetable and beef soup was served alongside homemade biscuits and cornbread. Iola Reads put on the dinner in conjunction with the program’s book “Moon Over Manifest.” In the novel the main character, Abilene Tucker, arrives in the small Kansas town of Manifest by railroad and encounters some hobos, which were men, sometimes women, who traveled across the country looking for work. After the dinner a hobo whose nickname was “road kill,” played by Donna Houser, gave a presentation on the history of hoboing. “Like Abilene said ‘you have to learn the language,’” Houser said. Hobos had their own language. “Boil them up” meant when a See HOBO | Page A5
kept track of totals for each candidate on a large tally board as they were called out, often in ceremonious fashion. Some of the process is unchanged, though arranged a little differently. Ballots still are carried to polling places early Election Day. “After the election, we have to make sure that voted ballots, those set aside as being provisional and ones that are spoiled, add up to the number we received,” Murray said. Once that chore is completed, ballots are carried to the courthouse where a machine tallies the votes. A RECENT change that has caused some voters distress
is having to show a photo ID before being given a ballot. “We really didn’t have much trouble with that,” at the August primary, Murray said. “Mainly it was some of the older folks, whose response was, ‘Why? We’ve known each other for years.’ Most younger voters didn’t pay any attention to the requirement.” While apathy is a concern in any election cycle, Murray said those who do show up “take their voting seriously.” Murray added that local elections, unless there is a hot-button issue, draw fewer voters, while voters stream to the polls when a governor or president is being elected.
Register/Allison Tinn
Donna Houser gives a history of hoboing at Thursday night’s hobo dinner at the North Community Building.
available for those entered in the race. The race begins in Chanute and ends in Iola. The name is derived from the fact that Chanute, Humboldt and Iola all had cement plants, although it’s been since the mid-1960s that Iola’s Lehigh Cement Co., closed its doors. If the runners seem unusally Vol. 115, No. 6
fresh as they cross the finish line, it could be because some of them are running as part of a team, divvying up the course. About 80 runners are registered for the event. Runners are expected to cross the finish line around 11 a.m. up through the early afternoon. All cheers are appreciated.
See MURRAY | Page A5
Performance a big honor for elementary drummers By ALLISON TINN allison@iolaregister.com
Free doughnuts at morning’s event Come help celebrate the area’s first Portland Alley Marathon with free doughnuts on Iola’s courthouse square as runners cross the finish line of the 26.2mile course. More healthy food also will be
Lois Murray
The Reba E. Davis Memorial Drumming Circle isn’t like most regular drumming circles. The eclectic rhythms played on the tubano, djembes and talking drums are unique, so much so that by special invitation the group will perform at the Kansas Department of Education (KDE) conference Wednesday in Wichita. The drumming circle, made up of fourth- and fifth-grade Jefferson, Lincoln and McKinley students, are the first elementary students to be asked to play for the KDE board. “As far back as the board members can remember, we are the first elementary group to be asked to perform. The board hasn’t had anyone from southeast Kansas either,” Karen Jesseph, elementary music teacher said. “Usually it is just college and high school students who play.” The special drums were hard to come by, Jesseph said. After seeing a group performing at a conference in Wichita in 2006, Jesseph said “I just had to have them.” After 11 months of begging, the school district received a bequest which went to buying the drums. The donation came from a local woman, Reba E. Davis, and thus they found the name for the new drumming circle. When the drumming circle first began there were 21 students in the drumming circle. Now five years later, they have 45 drummers.
75 Cents
“If we had more kids we would need more drums, and a bigger room,” Jesseph said.
“ As
far back as the board members can remember, we are the first elementary group to be asked to perform. The board hasn’t had anyone from southeast Kansas either. — Karen Jesseph, music instructor
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High voter turnout likely for Tuesday
When votes are tallied Tuesday night, the results will be known within a couple of hours after polls close at 7 o’clock. The tabulation process wasn’t always so easy, recalled Lois Murray, longtime poll worker. “I remember elections when we wouldn’t be finished until 3 o’clock the next morning,” said Murray, 74. For more than 40 years, Murray has seldom missed helping with elections. On Tuesday’s Election Day, her cheery face will greet voters once again. Before computers, all ballot counting was done by hand. Also, advance voting, which promises to account for more than 20 percent of the ballots marked this year, was restricted to those who were unable to venture to polling places on Election Day, because of illness, disability or knowing ahead of time they would be out of town. “We’d pick up the ballots at the clerk’s office between 6 and 6:30 on Election Day morning and get everything ready to open the polls at 7 o’clock,” Murray said. Workers checked addresses, issued ballots and then made sure they were securely tucked away after being voted. At mid-afternoon, counting board workers arrived to start the tedious and timeconsuming task of counting each vote. After all were tabulated, they were carried to the courthouse, where for years Probate Judge Leslie Norton
THE ELEMENTARY students will be leaving at 8 a.m. Wednesday and will perform at noon. They will play for roughly 30 to 40 minutes. “This is a pretty big deal for the students,” Jesseph said. They will be playing a variety of music from African, Caribbean to American Folk pieces. “There will be a lot of old calland-response pieces,” Jesseph said. In addition to the drums, some students will play guitar and recorders. In the past, the drumming circle has played for local organizations, including churches, nursing homes, the farmers market and last year at Farm-City Days. The students are always looking for more places to play, Jesseph said.
Iola, KS