Schwab: Turnout likely to be reminscent of 2016 and hover around 24% statewide
LECOMPTON — Buildings adjacent to the 1855 territorial capital of Kansas served as an election day backdrop Tuesday for Kathy and Steve McDowell, who watched as their grandchildren played in a park outside the local voting site in a community building more than a century old.
Both got a jump on the August primary by filling out their ballots Monday, but sat on a bench as voters behind them walked in and out of the Lecompton polling station located in a limestone structure built for the Kansas United Brethren Church, whose members were regarded as the “radicals.”
The McDowells said they were adherents of the traditional view of voting as an feature of civic duty.
“It’s your responsibility in a democracy. If you don’t vote you’re abdicating your responsibility,” said Steve McDowell, 76, and a consistent voter for more than 50 years.
Kathy McDowell, who didn’t consider herself a diehard political person, said she believed voting was a important right that should to be exercised.
“I’m kind of disenchanted, but I do feel like it’s an obligation, but also a right, also a privilege. So, I do it,” she said.
In downtown Topeka, Jerry Smithson said he didn’t typically vote because he didn’t believe it was possible to hold politicians accountable.
He said campaign promises made by candidates and their allies rarely matched reality once people were in political office. He said that was evident in decisions about taxes, education and health care issues.
“Politicians do whatever they want,” he said. “When do they listen to the people?”
A prediction
Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who serves as the state’s top election official, said it was difficult to predict turnout for this August primary. Each election cycle had a unique set of circumstances, he said, including the 2022 proposed constitutional amendment on abortion that brought nearly 1 million to the polls. In the past, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted voting. Contested primaries for statewide offices have an influence, he said.
“Over the past decade,” Schwab said, “it has been observed that competitive races and compelling issues significantly drive voter turnout.”
He said turnout in the 2024 primary could resemble participation in 2016, which was a low-turnout election. About 411,000 Kansans took part in 2016, which equated to 24% of potential voters.
Polling locations opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 7 p.m. local time in Kansas. Voters who were in line but hadn’t cast a ballot when polls closed must be permitted to vote. In-person voters had to present a government-issued photo identification card.
“Remember to thank the poll workers when you vote,” Schwab said. “They work tirelessly and are invaluable to our election system.”
Mailed ballots had to be postmarked by Aug. 6 and received by a county election office by Aug. 9 to be counted.
Schwab said the secretary of state’s website — sos.ks.gov — would go live at 5 p.m. Tuesday to provide unofficial election results. The preliminary outcome of elections for local offices such as county attorney, clerk or sheriff could be found on county election websites, he said.
‘Next generation’
In Lawrence, Anthony Harvey Jr. said he was invested in voting because the city’s leadership ought to have a sense of what a younger generation wanted of municipal government. He said he was drawn to candidates who he felt he could trust and had a sense of what it was to be a resident of Lawrence.
“It’s a blessing and a good opportunity to have my opinion on the next generation of leaders,” Harvey said. “I’m from east Lawrence. I feel like it’s important to support our people and people who care about Lawrence or want to be here. It means a lot to want to be in the city of Lawrence because it’s such a special place.”
Voter Mary Wetzel of Lawrence echoed that sentiment: “I definitely wanted to make sure they got my vote. It matters not just for us but the whole next generation.”
Karen and Gary Vespestad, who voted in the unincorporated community of Kanwaka, cast votes during a mid-day flurry of activity.
“It’s the only way you can get your voice heard,” Karen Vespestad said.
At Rainbow Mennonite Church in Kansas City, Kansas, Jennifer Caihar said she didn’t possess strong opinions about her ballot decisions. She came to the church with her two children.
“I didn’t have like, ‘I have to make sure I vote for this candidate.’ I just have to make sure that I come and vote and have a chance to express my intuition,” she said.
Topeka election worker Henry Blake, who monitored voting at Rice Community Center, said he took a philosophical view of the electoral process. Halfway through the day, only 32 of 971 people eligible to vote at that polling station had done so.
“We’re still in the grand experiment phase of our country,” Blake said. “It’s way too dangerous to ignore … the power of elections.”
Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.
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