For the second time since Kansas became a state, all of its U.S. congressional seats are up for election at the same time - two for the Senate and four in the House of Representatives. Historically, the Republican party has dominated Kansas politics.
Conservatives tend to be more politically active than moderates.
In recent Kansas elections, conservatives appear to have had nearly 100 percent turnout at the polls. If moderates tend to stay at home Aug. 6, as they have in past elections, the conservatives may determine the candidates for the general election in November. Often, in general elections, Getter noted, many Kansans vote a straight Republican ticket - sometimes knowing little about all the candidates. In the 1994 Kansas primary, Getter estimated only 26 percent of the Republicans voted in Douglas County. In Johnson County, less than a fourth of the county's Republicans voted.