TOPEKA (KSNT) - Kansas held a rare special election this year for only the third time in the state's history. But how much did it end up costing?
The Kansas Secretary of State's (SOS) Office posted to social media Monday, June 24 a recap of the Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) held in the state earlier this year. Secretary of State Scott Schwab said the cost of running the PPP comes out to $2.78 million.
Kansas Legislators had to give special authorization for this type of election to take place in 2024 last year following debates and rounds of voting in the Statehouse. A total of $4.7 million in state funds was set aside for the PPP in 2023 with counties being reimbursed for their direct expenses associated with the election.
"At the time the estimate was made, it was anticipated that there would be a larger pool of candidates still participating in the primary by the time Kansans went to the polls," Schwab said. "The final cost of the primary shows that our trained county election professionals were able to conduct this election efficiently, on time, and under budget."
Low voter turnout was reported following the PPP's conclusion on Tuesday, March 19. Only 9% of registered Republican and Democratic voters participated in the PPP. Initially, voters had eight Democrat and Republican candidates to choose from including the following:
For more Capitol Bureau news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.
Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf
