© 2024 KMUW
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

22% Voter Turnout Predicted For KS Primary

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach predicts 22% of registered voters will cast a ballot in next Tuesday's primary election.

That's similar to the statewide turnout in the 2008 primary, which he says is the one most like this year's contest.

Higher turnout is expected this year in the Wichita area, where former Republican Congressman Todd Tiahrt is trying to take back his old seat from incumbent Congressman Mike Pompeo. Kobach says this could mean 30% of registered voters in the district might show up at the polls.

Kobach says nearly 40,000 Kansans have already voted ahead of the August 5th primary.

J. Schafer is the News Director of Kansas Public Radio at the Univeristy of Kansas. He’s also the Managing Editor of the Kansas Public Radio Network, which provides news and information to other public radio stations in Kansas and Missouri. Before joining KPR in 1995, Schafer spent 10 years as a commercial radio and TV newsman. During his career, he's filed stories for nearly every major radio news network in the nation including ABC, NBC, CBS, AP, UPI, the Mutual Broadcasting System, NPR and the BBC. This seems to impress no one. At KPR, he produces feature stories, interviews and newscast items and edits the work of others. In the fall of 2000, he performed contract work for the U.S. State Department, traveling to central Asia to teach broadcast journalism at newly independent radio stations in the former Soviet Union. One of his passions is Kansas; learning about and promoting the state’s rich heritage, people and accomplishments. Schafer gives presentations about Kansas to various organizations around the state to remind residents about our awesome history and incredible people. A native of Great Bend, he studied journalism and mass communications at Barton County Community College and at the University of Kansas. He was also an exchange student to Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. The “J.” in J. Schafer stands for Jeremy, but he doesn’t really care for that name. He also enjoys the pretentiousness of using just a single initial for a first name!