RON THORNBURGH
Secretary of State |
STATE OF KANSAS |
Memorial Hall, 1st Floor
120 SW 10th Avenue
Topeka, KS 66612-1594
(785) 296-4564
www.kssos.org
|
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Friday, August 2, 2002
Contact Information
Jesse Borjon, Communications Director
Office of the Secretary of State
(785) 296-4580
jesseb@kssos.org
THORNBURGH PROJECTS LOW
VOTER TURNOUT FOR PRIMARY ELECTION
Topeka, KS - Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh is projecting a low voter turnout for the
primary election scheduled to be conducted on Tuesday, August 6. “We will see a record low turnout in the
upcoming primary election,” stated Thornburgh. “The nationwide trend of dangerously low turnout has
continued in this election cycle. Texas had a 13% turnout in their March primary election; Nebraska had a
21% turnout in their May primary election; and Arkansas had a 23.9% turnout in their June primary election.
Several factors are expected to cause a low turnout here in Kansas, especially the disconnect among the
electorate surrounding the past legislative session and the lack of contested and competitive races. I also
believe the confusion surrounding redistricting will play a role in the decline in turnout on August 6.”
The number of voters affiliated with each recognized political party includes:
| Party | Voters |
|---|
| Democrats | 438,139 |
| Libertarian | 12,210 |
| Reform | 1,904 |
| Republican | 710,704 |
| Unaffiliated | 425,850 |
| Total | 1,588,859 |
VOTER TURNOUT
Only 1,148,843 voters are eligible to participate in the primary election because only registered
Democrats and Republicans are allowed to vote in the primary. Anyone who is registered as an unaffiliated
voter can, on election day, choose to affiliate with one of the major parties (Democrat and Republican) and
vote.
The Secretary of State’s office predicts approximately 381,000 voters will turnout for the August
primary. This calculates to be 24% with 33.4% of registered Republicans and Democrats turning out to
vote. This figure represents a 58,000 person decrease from the 1998 primary election turnout, when
439,463 out of 1,089,119 eligible voters casts ballots.
Election results will be posted on the Secretary of State’s web site at www.kssos.org, starting at 8
p.m. on August 6.
Primary Election Results
| Year | Registered Voters | Turnout | Percent |
|---|
| 1990 | 1,166,031 | 481,788 | 41% |
| 1992 | 1,187,515 | 516,532 | 43% |
| 1994 | 1,273,648 | 458,336 | 36% |
| 1996 | 1,352,393 | 532,294 | 39% |
| 1998 | 1,493,779 | 439,463 | 29% |
| 2000 | 1,557,692 | 425,568 | 27% |
- Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Wyandotte counties make up 46% of the total registered voters.
- The top 10 counties include Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Wyandotte, Douglas, Reno, Leavenworth,
Saline, Butler, and Riley. They make up 60% of the total registered voters.
GO TO http://www.kssos.org FOR COMPLETE VOTER REGISTRATION NUMBERS BY COUNTY
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