From the Reference Desk...

On Tuesday, August 5th, Kansans will go to the polls to participate in the state's 2014 primary elections. Primary elections determine a party's official candidates for the statewide general elections, which are held in November.

In some states, any registered voter may participate in primary elections, but in Kansas, a voter may only participate in primaries of their affiliated party. Kansas primary election rules are outlined in Chapter 25, Article 2 of the Kansas Statutes.

Many voters may be unaware of where their particular polling place is. Every county has a county election officer that may be contacted for information on that county's election process, including the designated polling station for each residential address. The Kansas Secretary of State's website maintains a page with the contact information to all 105 counties' county election officers.

Beginning in 2012, prospective Kansas voters have been required to show photo ID when voting. The Kansas Secretary of State has an explanatory website regarding the state voting ID rules at www.gotvoterid.com.

The Kansas Secretary of State's office has also developed a helpful election-related iPhone app called "VoteKansas" that they have just rolled out. Instructions for how to download and use the app can be found here.

Below are some additional Kansas government links intended to inform the public of the state's election process:

Stay tuned to From the Reference Desk for more informative coverage on the Kansas election process; a subject we will return to again as the November general elections near.