Turnout in election primary voting low

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Incumbent city commissioners Dennis “Boog” Highberger and David Schauner, along with newcomers James Bush, Rob Chestnut, Mike Dever and Carey Maynard-Moody advanced to the general election April 3, according to unofficial election results.

The top three finishers in Tuesday’s primary were Dever, Chestnut and Highberger.

The top three vote-getters in April will win commission seats.

Candidates Jake Davis, Sam Fields and Michael Limburg were eliminated from this the race.

pullquote

I just don’t think students consider themselves connected to the things city government does.

-David Schauner

Jamie Shew, county clerk, said city voter turnout for the primary was “light,” at about 15 percent. He said precincts with high numbers of University students had turnouts of about 5 percent or lower.

“The KU precincts were probably the lightest in the county,” Shew said.

Schauner said he was disappointed with the city turnout, but understood why so few students voted.

“I just don’t think students consider themselves connected to the things city government does,” he said.

Schauner said his campaign would actively seek votes until election day. Though he finished fourth in the primary, he expressed confidence that he would defend his commission seat.

“This ain’t over,” Schauner said.

Dever said his first-place finish in the primary exceeded his expectations. He said achieving name recognition was a huge step for his campaign.

“I’ve got my name out, and the next step is to get the message out,” Dever said.

Bush said he was happy that he would move on to the general election. He said it was a thrill just to have people vote for him.

“It’s just humbling when you consider that one of the greatest powers a citizen has is to vote,” he said.

Kansan staff writer Matt Erickson can be contacted at merickson@kansan.com.

— Edited by Ryan Schneider

Highberger re-elected to city commission

Schauner falls short in bid for re-election, while Bush and Maynard-Moody also ...

/news/2007/apr/04/results/

Political affiliation not always accurate

Politicians and professors in Lawrence divide city commission candidates into two groups: ...

/news/2007/mar/30/candidates/

Candidates telemarket campaigns

Two candidates campaigning for the Lawrence City Commission election this Tuesday are ...

/news/2007/mar/30/poll/

City commission? What?

Within the last six years, the Lawrence city commission banned three unrelated ...

/news/2007/apr/03/voting/

Discussion of second Wal-Mart revisited

The second Wal-Mart proposed for Lawrence was voted down 3-2 by the ...

/news/2007/apr/17/walmart/

Commission votes to draft ordinance

/news/2005/sep/07/commission_votes_ordinance/

Student came up short in city commission ...

Jake Davis ran for the Lawrence City Commission with a main platform ...

/news/2007/mar/16/davis/

Voter turnout shrinks from 2006 levels

Fewer citizens, students voted yesterday in Douglas County than during the last ...

/news/2010/nov/03/voter-turnout-/

Douglas County sees only slight increase in ...

The number of registered voters is up 27 percent, but only 5 ...

/news/2008/nov/05/douglas_county/

Big spending for a big election

Kansas political parties and the Douglas County government have committed substantial amounts ...

/news/2008/oct/21/big_spending/

Dever elected mayor of Lawrence

Robert Chestnut, elected vice mayor, said he and Dever will focus on ...

/news/2008/apr/02/dever_elected_mayor_lawrence/

Students disconnected from city election

Today’s the last day to register to vote and past student participation ...

/news/2009/mar/23/city_election/

Highberger chosen to be city’s mayor

/news/2005/apr/13/news_lawrence_mayor/

Candidates include four newcomers

How much do you know about the candidates for today's city commission ...

/news/2007/apr/03/candidates/

Lawrence citizens vote to fill three commission ...

Hugh Carter, Mike Dever and Bob Schumm will fill the three vacant ...

/news/2011/apr/05/lawrence-citizens-vote-fill-three-commission-spots/

Commission votes to start Wal-Mart construction

The second Supercenter is expected to take 10 to 12 months in ...

/news/2008/jan/17/walmart/

Future of Lawrence public transit hinges on ...

If a proposed sales tax increase doesn’t pass, the city will have ...

/news/2008/oct/10/city_public_transportation/

City debates new business ordinance

Commissioner Mike Amyx proposed a disorderly business ordinance in order to improve ...

/news/2007/aug/16/downtown/

Moore wins race for U.S. Rep. in ...

Educational policies and wide appeal secured Moore’s place in Congress.

/news/2008/nov/05/moore_wins/

Voters may not turn out

Even the historical nature of this year's election may not be enough ...

/news/2008/nov/03/turn_out/

KU Black Student Union members comment on ...

Black students from the group spoke about concerns they have on race ...

/news/2008/nov/03/BSU/

New mayor wants more KU graduates to ...

Mayor Robert Chestnut wants to create more jobs so graduates have a ...

/news/2009/jun/21/chestnut/

City commissioners select new mayor

Robert Chestnut will return to his former role on the City Commission.

/news/2010/apr/14/city-commissioners-select-new-mayor/

KUnited sweeps election and defeats Renew KU

Libby Johnson and Gabe Bliss will take office in the fall, representing ...

/news/2011/apr/14/kunited-sweeps/

Brinker: Youth turnout disappoints, but fits historical ...

Previous turnout may have been higher, but situations were different.

/news/2010/nov/05/brinker-youth-turnout-disappoints-fits-historical-/

Student Senate elections boast highest voter turnout

Student politicians think that social networking and aggressive campaigning contributed to the ...

/news/2011/apr/19/angelique-mcnaughton/

/photos/2007/apr/04/176/

Sec. of State race heating up

The race could possibly be the most compelling of November election.

/news/2010/jun/13/sec-state-race-heating/

Rob Chestnut named Lawrence mayor

Mike Amyx becomes vice mayor, and both pledged to continue relationship with ...

/news/2009/apr/15/lawrence_mayor/

Mayor delivers State of the City Address

Before inducting Lawrence's new mayor, vice mayor and the rest of the ...

/news/2011/apr/13/mayor-delivers-state-city-address/

Three counties vote in Republican caucus, Huckabee ...

A crowded, but successful, Republican caucus brought hundreds of voters from three ...

/news/2008/feb/11/republican_caucus/

Students follow national voting trend

Candidates uses social networks to reach out to the youth vote

/news/2007/oct/31/election/

New mayor proposes sales tax increase

In her first public address after becoming the new mayor, Sue Hack ...

/news/2007/apr/11/mayor/

Voter turnout low on campus

Voting poles were open on campus today, but turnout was low.

/news/2009/apr/07/voter_turnout_low_campus/

Editorial: Students’ interest in campus politics shouldn’t ...

While voter turnout this year was increased to 20 percent of the ...

/news/2011/apr/21/editorial/

'Uncounted' reveals missing voting truths

The film, showing at Liberty Hall, explores voting problems of the 2004 ...

/news/2008/jun/01/uncounted/

Strategists discuss presidential race

Political experts said Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary would be indicators ...

/news/2007/mar/01/strategy/

Weapons ordinance passed, commissioners doubt its effectiveness

/news/2006/feb/15/guns/

Be unique, go vote

Voter turnout among young people is historically low and this year looks ...

/news/2010/nov/01/be-unique-/

Commission bans guns in bars

The city of Lawrence will start cracking down on anyone who brings ...

/news/2007/mar/14/safety/

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.

Sign in to comment

Or login with:

OpenID