For Kansas voters, the outcome of this year's state elections could be particularly significant. At stake is whether moderate Republicans will gain more influence in the Kansas Legislature, or whether conservative Republicans will remain in charge. All seats in the Kansas Statehouse are on the ballot this year (125 Kansas House seats and 40 state senate seats). And while not every seat in the Kansas House is being contested, every state senate seat will have a Republican and a Democratic candidate squaring off against each other in the November general election.
In addition, one U.S. Senate seat and all four congressional seats will appear on the ballot. Of the federal races, the most competitive primary appears to be in the Big First Congressional District, which covers most of central and western Kansas and part of eastern Kansas. In this race, Republican Congressman Tim Huelskamp, of Fowler, is facing a strong primary challenge from political novice and Great Bend physician Roger Marshall.
Because of our commitment to keeping listeners informed on statewide news and issues, KPR has joined forces with other non-commercial media outlets -- KMUW (Wichita), KCUR (Kansas City), the KHI news service (Topeka), and High Plains Public Radio (Garden City) -- to provide quality election coverage to our supporters. The new initiative, which often uses the social media moniker #KS2016, focuses on the election news and political information that is vital to Kansas voters. With financial support from the Kansas Leadership Center in Wichita, this reporting collaboration allows news partners to provide more content to listeners and readers. That content includes information about the issues and about voting itself, including new voter registration requirements.
Kansas Public Radio and other public radio stations involved in the #KS2016 initiative will be broadcasting Kansas primary results live, on election night (Tuesday, August 2) from 8-10 p.m. So, don't forget to vote on Tuesday and then tune in to your local public radio station that night to learn the election results.