PALMYRA, MO. -- Marion County will lose its longtime county clerk at the end of the year.
Bob Ravenscraft is currently wrapping up his 6th term in office after 24 years of service to the county.
Bob Ravenscraft worked his last election as Marion County's Clerk.
In Missouri a County Clerk is everything from an election organizer and to the county's accountant formulating budgets and issuing liquor licenses.
Although he's enjoyed every minute, he says election nights will always be the favorite part of his job.
Ravenscraft said, "There's an excitement on election night of being the first to know. We are literally the first to know when we pick that paper off the printer."
But that also has its downside. He sees firsthand the thrill of victory and agony of defeat played out in front of him.
Ravenscraft said, "This past August we had four people running for treasurer. You know one person will win and three will not."
In addition to those election moments...including one back in 2006 when he barely made it through an election with pneumonia, he's seen many changes in Marion County in his 24 years. One of the most obvious is technology.
Ravenscraft said, "In 1987 when I began we had these adding machines that you'd punch in and pull a handle to get the figures added up."
Now the office is computerized...and optical scan machines like these count the votes. As the county's clerk he's also seen the remodeling of both Marion County Courthouses and a new jail. But he says it's the county employees that make everything operate smoothly.
Ravenscraft's last day on the job will be December 31st.
He's looking forward to traveling and spending more time with grandchildren in Quincy and Ohio.
Ravenscraft spends his vacations with elections on the brain as well. He serves overseas as an election observer to ensure valid elections in developing countries.
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