Polls are lonely again for primary elections in Missouri, Kansas

Turnout was at 25 percent or lower Tuesday in Jackson County in Missouri and Johnson County in Kansas.

About a quarter of Jackson Countian voters outside Kansas City cast ballots, despite Missouri’s combative Republican primaries for governor (Eric Greitens beat three other candidates) and attorney general (Josh Hawley triumphed over Kurt Schaefer).

In Kansas City, about 17 percent turned out.

About 20 percent of Johnson County voters went to the polls, notwithstanding the battles between Kansas’ moderate and conservative legislative hopefuls (the moderates won big).

In the 2014 primaries, turnout was about 18.5 percent in Johnson County, about 24 percent in Jackson County and about 18 percent in Kansas City.

The sun beat down in the parking lot of the Lucile H. Bluford library at 3050 Prospect Ave. on Tuesday, where Juanita Rios and Sherrie Black wore matching T-shirts: a fist emblazoned with an American flag above the words: “We The People” and “Educate to Liberate.”

“I feel that it is very important for us to get out and vote so we can better our neighborhoods and better our state,” Black said.

Black is the mother of Derron Black, a Democrat running against incumbent Randy Dunn to represent the 23rd District in the Missouri House. (Dunn won handily.)

Inside the library, election judge Darnell Pipens said turnout was light, as far as he was concerned. He chalked that up to a lack of information about the candidates and said citizens and politicians bore some responsibility to get out the vote.

Election officials in Clay and Platte counties told The Star earlier that voting turnout seemed about average or a little below average.

In Johnson County, election commissioner Ronnie Metsker had said that minor glitches with voting technology were solvable and advance voting had been light — 25,030 people voted in advance, according to the Johnson County Election Office on Tuesday night.

Doris Beary, an election judge at the Westwood City Hall polling location, said turnout was “kind of slow.” About 225 had cast ballots by 3:30 p.m., and Beary expected 300 by the end of the day.

This story was originally published August 2, 2016 at 10:30 PM.