Election officials certified Tuesday’s Lincoln County generalelection Friday, but the addition of absentee and affidavit ballotsfailed to have an effect on the results of any races.

“It didn’t change any outcomes,” said Circuit Clerk Terry LynnWatkins.

Watkins said election commissioners completed adding approximately600 absentee and affidavit ballots around 2 p.m. Friday anddeclared the election results final.

The final tally showed only 36.7 percent of the county’s 25,933registered voters took the opportunity to have their voices heardby casting their vote in state, regional and county seats Tuesday,Watkins said.

The number of voters in the general election was down more than 5percent from the 42 percent turnout recorded in the August partyprimaries.

“That’s just disappointing,” she said. “This was an opportunity foreveryone to make a difference, and elections cost this county a lotof money.”

The totals mean 63 percent of the county’s residents decided not toparticipate in the election.

“People griped in the primary about how they had to choose betweenDemocratic and Republican candidates, and this time the Democratsand Republicans were on the same ballot and they still didn’t turnout,” Watkins said.

Watkins, who won election to another term in the August Democraticprimary by eliminating her opposition, said she hoped to improvevoter turnout for the next election.

“I hope everyone who did not vote, as well as those who did, willresolve to vote in the next election, which will be in March 2008,”she said.

The March 2008 party primary will feature candidates for U.S.president and Congress.