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Kobach Predicts 18 Percent Voter Turnout In Primary Elections

KCUR

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is predicting 18 percent of registered voters will cast a ballot in thestate's primary elections next week.

That would be around the lowest voter turnout in the last decade. Kobach says he doesn't believe the hotly contested races for the state Legislature will spur much voter participation.

"Historically, while those races sometimes become very fierce and very heavily contested with lots of money spent, they don't necessarily drive people to the polls like a hotly contested race higher on the ballot might do," Kobach said.

Kobach says he hopes a large number of voters shows up to the polls to prove him wrong. The highest voter turnout in a Kansas primary in the last decade was 30 percent in 2004.

As the Kansas News Service managing editor, I help our statewide team of reporters find the important issues and breaking news that impact people statewide. We refine our daily stories to illustrate the issues and events that affect the health, well-being and economic stability of the people of Kansas. Email me at skoranda@kcur.org.
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