KS Secretary of State predicts 28 percent voter turnout in 2020 primary election

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - (Update Friday, July 31, 2020): The Kansas Secretary of State’s Office on Friday released a turnout projection for the Aug. 4 primary election in which Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab predicts 28 percent of voters in the state will participate in the primary.

“Our priority has been, and will continue to be, to maintain balance in protecting the health and safety of Kansas voters and election workers while also ensuring the security of Kansas elections,” said Schwab said. “If you feel safe going to the grocery store, you should feel safe to vote.”

The secretary of state’s office said the turnout prediction is based on several factors including advance voting figures, registered voters in Kansas and competitive races driving turnout. The COVID-19 pandemic has also “created several unique factors not present in prior elections,” the secretary of state’s office said.

Most noticeably, advance voting trends show that about 300,000 ballots will be cast through advance voting as part of the primary election.

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“As of Friday, July 31, 2020, there have been 314,788 advance by mail ballots sent to Kansas voters. Comparatively, 51,211 ballots were sent to Kansas voters during the same period in the 2018 primary election and 53,387 advance by mail ballots were mailed during the same period in the 2016 primary election,” the Kansas secretary of state’s office said. “To date, 159,012 advance by mail ballots have been returned to local election offices, compared to 26,917 in the 2018 primary election and 26,795 in the 2016 primary election.”

Breaking that down further by political party, the secretary of state’s office reported Friday that the of the returned mail-in ballots, about 81,000 were from Democrats, about 77,000 from Republicans, nine from Libertarians and 423 from unaffiliated voters.

Kansas voters have until noon Monday (Aug. 3) to advance vote in-person. For more information on the primary election and when and where you can vote in Sedgwick County, call 316-660-7100 or visit Sedgwick County’s website.

No matter where you live in Kansas, you can find further registration information and find your polling place on the Kansas Secretary of State’s website.

As of Friday (July 31), the secretary of state’s office reported that of the 307,762 advance in-person ballots that have been cast, 23,599 were by registered Republicans, 6,455 by registered Democrats, three by registered Libertarians and 745 by unaffiliated voters.

With historically high advance voting numbers and COVID-19 safety precautions, the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office said election results may be delayed on the evening of the primary election (Aug. 4).

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(Wednesday, July 22, 2020)

Early voting is underway in Sedgwick County ahead of the Aug. 4 primary election that will narrow the field in key races in the Nov. 7 general election.

Every day this week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. you can cast an early primary ballot at the Sedgwick County Election Office: 510 N. Main, Suite 101, inside the Wichita Sedgwick County Historic Courthouse. Voters enter on the west side of the building off Main Street.

Early voting at the election office continues next week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (July 27-July 31). Final chances for early voting at the election office come from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 1 and 8 a.m. to noon Aug. 3.

Beginning July 30 (one week from Thursday) and continuing through Aug.1, additional satellite voting sites will be open across Sedgwick County. For more information on the primary election and when and where you can vote, call 316-660-7100 or visit Sedgwick County’s website.