UPDATED, 7:01 p.m.:
Polls have closed in Sedgwick County for today's primary election.
Kansas voters will decide which candidates advance to the November election for governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress and every seat in the Kansas House, as well as some State Board of Education and local judicial races.
Also at stake is the process for selecting justices for the Kansas Supreme Court. A proposed constitutional amendment would move to a system of electing justices rather than the current, merit-based appointment system.
Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab said advance voting for the primary is greatly ahead of advance voting numbers from 2024 and 2018, the previous open primary for governor.
“The election is running incredibly smooth, probably the smoothest one we've had under my administration,” Schwab said during a conference call for reporters.
For today’s primary, about 40,446 mail-in ballots have been returned, and 161,785 ballots cast in advance, he said. In 2024, there were about 27,600 mail-in ballots returned and 83,545 advance ballots.
The advance-voting numbers fall short of the turnout during the 2022 primary, which included the “Value Them Both” abortion referendum.
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by today for them to count in the election.
At a polling place in west Wichita this morning, Jennifer Weast said she votes in every election, but this one was especially important because of the proposed amendment.
"When there’s a constitutional possible change, that’s important, and I want to make sure my vote counts," she said.
Lana Stone, 78, said she has voted in every election since she turned 18.
"I like to have a voice," she said. "I can't complain about things or talk about things or do things when I haven't made the effort or the commitment to vote."
Andrew Seaton, a registered Republican in Wichita, said he voted in favor of the proposed amendment to allow voters to elect Kansas Supreme Court justices.
"The biggest thing is just the current state of the court," he said. "I don’t feel that the current court represents Kansas as a whole. ... The message from the other side is that judges will be bought, but if you think that way, then every elected office we have is open for being purchased."
Catherine Searle, who voted at Plymouth Congregational Church, said she voted against the proposed amendment because she sees it as a move to allow Kansas lawmakers to limit or ban abortion.
“I don’t want (Kansas Attorney General) Kris Kobach deciding to turn our Supreme Court into a partisan body," Searle said. "It’s clear what they’re trying to do — take away a woman’s right to abortion, basically."
Only voters who are registered with a political party can vote on candidates in the primary races, including the Kansas governor race. All registered voters, including unaffiliated voters, can vote on the amendment question.
The three-day grace period for mail-in ballots will be in place for this election. That means mail-in ballots can be received for up to three days after today’s primary, as long as they were postmarked by election day.
KMUW News will have on-air and online coverage throughout the day on local races and other issues. Follow KMUW on Facebook and X, and visit KMUW.org for election results.
CONTRIBUTING: Jessica Pearce, a Report for America journalist working for The KLC Journal, contributed to this report.
