Posted on Wed, Apr. 08, 2009

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9 percent of voters turned out

BY BECCY TANNER, FRED MANN AND BRENT WISTROM

The Wichita Eagle

Slow.

Pretty sad.

Those are words voters and poll workers used to describe the 9 percent turnout Tuesday for municipal and school elections in Sedgwick County.

Turnout in three contested Wichita City Council districts was slightly higher: 14 percent in District 1, 10 percent in District 3 and 13 percent in District 6.

Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Bill Gale had predicted a 12 percent turnout countywide based on a similar lineup of races in 2001.

Weak participation may have been driven, in part, by relatively quiet campaigns, voter apathy and lack of ballot initiatives.

Jarrod Nolan, 24, who owns a diving club, said he voted for school board candidates but didn't vote in the council race because he simply didn't know enough about the candidates.

"If I don't know much about their political missions, I'm not going to vote," he said.

A lack of controversial issues shared some of the blame, said poll workers at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 6000 E. Harry.

"It hasn't been in-your-face like other elections," said one of the workers, Gay Quisenberry, "but that's OK. We're here anyway."

The low turnout bothered one military veteran who voted at the site, said the workers at Pilgrim Congregational. They said he complained to them that he fought overseas to defend Americans' right to vote but that many people don't take advantage of the right.

Sally Frieze, 78, made it to Gloria Dei Lutheran Church to vote around 4 p.m. Told of the projected 12 percent turnout, she said that's pretty sad.

"It really is," she said. "And then they complain and say it's somebody else's fault."

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