Kansas City metro sees lower voter turnout than 2020 election, especially in urban areas
Despite significant interest in early voting in recent weeks, overall voter turnout for the 2024 general election on Tuesday, Nov. 5, fell short in the Kansas City area compared to past presidential election years.
Turnout on Tuesday was lower than it was in 2020 in every election jurisdiction that makes up the metro, despite voting procedures being adjusted in that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Jackson, Clay and Platte counties, turnout in 2024 was lower than in 2020 but higher than in 2016.
In Johnson and Wyandotte counties as well as the portion of Kansas City served by the Kansas City Election Board, turnout was lower in 2024 than during both the 2020 and 2016 general elections.
Here’s a closer look at the turnout by election board jurisdiction. Keep in mind that the 2024 turnout numbers are still preliminary, especially in Kansas, where absentee ballots will continue arriving for the next three days. Missouri doesn’t accept mailed ballots after Election Day, but counties could add provisional votes as it tabulates its official results.
What did voter turnout look like on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro?
Turnout in the part of Kansas City within Jackson County, which is served by the Kansas City Election Board, saw a voter turnout just under 54%. That’s the lowest turnout for a presidential election since at least 1996, the earliest one for which turnout data is available online. The Kansas City Election Board saw a 2020 general election turnout of 60.53% and 2016 turnout of 58.57%.
The rest of Jackson County saw 77.1% turnout in 2024. That’s lower than the area’s 2020 presidential election turnout of 80.7%, but slightly higher than its 2016 turnout of 76.2%.
Platte County saw significant turnout, with 81.1% of registered voters casting a ballot in 2024. That’s just below the county’s 2020 general election turnout of 82.7%, but above its turnout in 2016, 2012 and 2008.
Clay County saw a turnout of 71.3% in 2024. That’s lower than the county’s 2020 turnout of 74.8%, but higher than its 2016 turnout of 65.9%. Turnout data for earlier presidential election years is not available online.
What did voter turnout look like on the Kansas side of the Kansas City area?
Voter turnout was low compared to past presidential election years in both Johnson and Wyandotte counties.
On the Kansas side of the metro area, Johnson County saw lower turnout than past presidential elections, with just under 70% of registered voters casting a ballot. It’s the first turnout to fall below 70% in a presidential election year since the 2000 general election, and is more than 7 percentage points below the 2020 election turnout of 77.5%.
This marks a contrast to Johnson County’s early voting turnout numbers, which were the highest in the metro. Around 43.1% of the county’s 478,877 registered voters cast their ballots before Tuesday, according to advance voting data from the Johnson County Election Office.
In Wyandotte County, 52.4% of registered voters cast ballots in 2024. That’s more than 10 percentage points below the turnout in both 2020 and 2016. Turnout data for earlier presidential election years is not available online.
What does low turnout in urban areas mean for local, state and national races?
The two Kansas City jurisdictions with the lowest turnout in Tuesday’s election were also the two most urban: Kansas City and Wyandotte County, which contains Kansas City, Kansas.
Low turnout from these areas, which usually lean toward Democratic candidates, was reflected in statewide results: Republicans retained control of Missouri’s executive branch and kept their supermajority in Kansas’ state legislature.
Both states also favored Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, contributing their electoral votes to his victory early Wednesday morning. But despite many wins for Republican candidates, Missourians also voted to advance several progressive amendments to the state constitution.
Amendment 3, which overturned Missouri’s abortion ban and enshrined reproductive freedoms into the state’s constitution, passed with around 51.7% of the vote according to the Associated Press, which called the race around 10:24 p.m. Tuesday.
Proposition A also passed easily with 57.6% of the vote, increasing Missouri’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026 and requiring employers to let workers accrue paid sick time.
Do you have more questions about election results in Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published November 6, 2024 at 1:05 PM.
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