Cedar Rapids vote at polls down from 2009 pace

UPDATE: At 11 a.m., fewer voters in Cedar Rapids had voted than had gone to the polls to vote in the 2009 city election, though in Marion and Hiawatha, the voter turnout numbers at 11 a.m. were higher than in 2009.

According to the Linn County Auditor, 6.29 percent of Cedar Rapids' eligible voters had turned out at one of the 44 voting precincts in the city to vote, down from 7.6 percent at 11 a.m. in 2009.

In 2009, Cedar Rapids had a highly competitive mayor race, in which Ron Corbett defeated then-City Council member Brian Fagan.

In Marion, 6.08 per of registered voters had gone to the polls by 11 a.m. today, up from 1.74 percent at 11 a.m. in 2009, and in Hiawatha, 6.19 percent had voted compared to 1.12 percent in 2009.

Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha, Robins and Fairfax are voting as a block this year on the question of whether they want to extend the 1-percent local-option sales tax for 10 years.

Robins and Fairfax voters voted in larger numbers by 11 a.m. in 2009 than they are today.

More voters countywide have voted early this time than in the 2009 city elections - 3,038 compared to 1,703 in 2009. Some absentee ballots may still arrive at the Auditor's Office to figure in this year's vote total.