By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Elections have always been about math. In a general sense, the candidate who collects the most votes wins the race. The math got a little more complicated for the single ward two spot on the Great Bend City Council. Barton County Clerk Bev Schmeidler appeared on 1590 KVGB/95.5 FM's "County Edition" program with Dakota Tucker Thursday to explain why a primary race is currently underway.
"There is one seat open on the second ward," she said. "If any time three times plus one file for that position - so when the fourth person filed, that created a primary for us. Only the registered voters in the second ward can vote in this particular election for Aug. 5."
Early voting began July 16 at the clerk's office on the second floor of the Barton County Courthouse. Early voting continues Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Aug. 1, and from 8 a.m. to noon on Monday, Aug. 4. On Tuesday, Aug. 5, voting moves to the Prince of Peace Parish, 4100 Broadway Ave., in Great Bend, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The top-two vote getters of the four candidates will advance to the November election.
This primary is only for voters in Great Bend's second ward, so overall numbers will be down regardless. Schmeidler said the percentage of registered voters who turn out is typically down in odd years.
"The turnout is higher in the even-numbered years when we have the governor or presidential race," she said. "When we have those elections, the turnout is always higher. The city-school elections have always had a lower turnout, which I think is really sad because those are the ones that touch our every day lives. Your city councils make the decisions for what goes on in your cities and communities. Your school boards decide what happen with your children in school."
Nearly 60 percent of Barton County voters turned out in the 2016 general election in which Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton for the presidency. That number dropped to just 24 percent in the 2017 general election, then rebounded to 49 percent in the 2018 general in which Kansas Governor Laura Kelly retained her seat. Fewer than 25 percent of voters turned out in 2019, and 68 percent voted in 2020, another presidential race year. Sixty-three percent turned out in the 2024 general election.