By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Another successful election is in the books for the Barton County Clerk's office. Results from last Tuesday's general election remain unofficial until the Barton County Commission canvasses the votes Wednesday morning. Clerk Bev Schmeidler said voting was slightly higher than in the August primary.
"We really kind of expected it to be higher because the primary was higher turnout, so it was about what we expected it to be," she said. "Everything went really smoothly. The board workers did a great job and we really appreciate everything they do."
Just over 7,400 Barton County residents voted in the Aug. 2 primary, compared to 8,075 votes cast in the Nov. 8 general election. Voter participation increased from 45.9 percent in August to 49.6 percent in November.
Barton County results did not necessarily mirror those at the statewide level. Sixty-two percent of local voters picked Republican Governor Candidate Derek Schmidt to unseat incumbent Laura Kelly, who collected 49 percent of the vote across Kansas. In the other major state race, Republican Kris Kobach defeated Democrat Chris Mann by just two percentage points in the Attorney General race. Kobach collected 70 percent of the votes in Barton County.
Sixty percent of Barton County voters checked "yes" on the constitutional amendment regarding legislative oversight, compared to 50 percent statewide. That amendment failed, losing to the "no" vote by just 9,095 votes, unofficially.
This year's election numbers were almost identical to Barton County figures from the last gubernatorial cycle. In 2018, just over 8,600 voters, or 49.2 percent of eligible voters, voted in Barton County.