Kansas primary turnout expected to be 27 percent

? The percentage of voters participating in Tuesday’s primary will remain relatively flat compared with recent primaries, Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh said today.

Thornburgh, the state’s chief election official, predicted that 430,000 voters will cast ballots in the primaries, out of a pool of 1,580,723 registered voters.

That’s about a 27 percent participation rate.

In 2002, 26 percent of registered voters voted in the primaries; 27 percent in 2000 and 29 percent in 1998.

“We still have work to do in getting more people to be involved in the process,” Thornburgh said.

Thornburgh said a number of contested races are drawing people to the polls, including the GOP primary in the 3rd congressional district, which includes east Lawrence. That contest includes Kris Kobach and Patricia Lightner and Adam Taff.

Thornburgh also noted there are a larger than average number of contested legislative and county races.