Kansas voters encouraged to show out as low voter turnout expected

TOPEKA, Kan. (KCTV) - Kansas voters have been encouraged to show out at the polls this election season as voter turnout is expected to be low.

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab announced on Friday, Aug. 2, that voter turnout estimates for the Aug. 6 primary election are now in. The estimate is based on data from previous primary election cycles.

Schwab noted that each election year presents a unique set of challenges. For example, within the past four election cycles, a constitutional amendment and contested statewide races drove voter turnout. A pandemic also threw a wrench in some data sets.

“Over the past decade, it has been observed that competitive races and compelling issues significantly drive voter turnout,” Schwab said.

So far, the Secretary of State indicated that more than 64,500 ballots have been cast in the 2024 primary election cycle through advance voting. That is more than 124,000 fewer ballots than were cast in 2022 and more than 125,000 fewer than were cast in 2020.

Schwab said the last time the Sunflower State saw a similar election was in 2016, a low-turnout election. There were about 411,000 voters who participated - a 24% voter turnout.

“I encourage Kansas voters to prove history wrong by beating the 2016 comparison numbers,” Schwab said. “We should exceed 2016, but Kansans must go vote!”

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