KANSAS CITY, Kan. — It’s been very quiet at polling places across the metro. Voter turnout has proved disappointing for some. In Kansas City, Kan., where a new mayor will be elected, voter turnout was very low.
Ann Murguia and Reverend Mark Holland are facing off to replace outgoing mayor Joe Reardon, who decided not to run for a third term. Both candidates currently serve on the Unified Government Commission, and both have strong roots in KCK. But even with the future of the Unified Government on the line, voters have just trickled into the polling places.
Election officials are shocked because in February, when a snow storm hit during the primary election, more than 1,700 people voted in advance. For this general election, less than half that number turned out to advance vote. And with voter turnout turning out to be terrible, those who do vote will have more influence in picking the county’s leaders.
“I’ve been disappointed with the numbers because it hasn’t risen to the level that I thought it would with this being a mayoral election,” Bruce Newby, Wyandotte County election commissioner, said. “With two candidates now on the ballot, I believe it was a hotly contested race, I believed the candidates would be turning out their supporters.”
Newby added, “When you get a spring election and in our case, I would expect this kind of election would generate 18,000 voters, but realistically I think we’ll be lucky today to get to 12,000.”
There are other issues being decided on both sides of the state line, including school bond issues in Blue Spring and Grandview, city council seats in Overland Park and Olathe and many school board positions. In Kansas City, voters are deciding on three issues, including renewing a property tax to pay for ambulance services.
Election results will be posted on fox4kc.com after 7 p.m.
