In Johnson County 90,000 request mail ballot, more than all votes cast in 2016 primary
About 90,000 Johnson County voters have requested mail-in ballots ahead of the Aug. 4 primary election. That’s more than the total number of votes cast in the 2016 primary, officials said.
And a record number of residents — more than 430,000 — have registered to vote, said county spokeswoman Lori Sand.
“The response has been phenomenal. It’s more than we would have estimated, definitely. So we think our voter turnout is going to be a record-setter for this election,” said Johnson County Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt.
As coronavirus cases soar, Johnson County is working to prevent long lines and crowded polling sites in August and November, when voters will cast ballots in some of the most competitive races for the Kansas Legislature, as well as vote for president and a new U.S. senator, among other officeholders.
Unlike Missouri, Kansas has allowed voters to cast ballots by mail for any reason since 1996. But for the first time in May, the county sent out applications for mail ballots to every registered voter due to the pandemic.
For residents who did not wish to vote by mail, seven advance voting locations will open on Monday.
“We encourage voters who aren’t voting by mail to take advantage of these two weeks of in-person advance voting to help us reduce traffic at our Election Day polling locations and protect our voters and election workers,” said Schmidt, who added that she is “grateful that a lot of people have chosen to vote by mail.”
Election workers on Wednesday sent out the 90,000 mail-in ballots — a number that surpasses the total number of votes cast in primary elections in 2008, 2012 and 2016. In 2016, 78,653 votes were cast.
As of Friday, 272,794 advance ballots had been sent by mail across the state. That compares to more than 36,000 advance ballots on the same day in 2018, said Katie Koupal, spokeswoman for the secretary of state.
That has added pressure on Johnson County’s election office as some poll workers opt out of assisting this year due to COVID-19 concerns. Sand said that employees from eight county departments have been recruited to process voter registration and mail out ballots.
At polling sites, workers are adding Plexiglas shields at check-in stations and stocking up on protective equipment and sanitation supplies. Masks and hand sanitizer will be provided to everyone. Voting machines will be separated to allow for social distancing. And voters will be given a single-use pen or stylus to mark paper or electronic ballots.
“Everybody is wearing masks and we’ll have sanitation spray for anything that’s touched throughout the day. We’ve got everything in place to keep everyone safe,” Schmidt said.
Despite Johnson County’s mask mandate, election officials cannot turn voters away from a polling location for not wearing a mask, said Secretary of State Scott Schwab in a news release.
“Our priority has been, and continues to be, ensuring every Kansan has the opportunity to exercise their right to vote in the 2020 elections,” Schwab said. “Kansas voters who choose to vote in-person will be allowed to vote, regardless of whether or not they wear a mask.”
But Schmidt is urging everyone to follow the safety recommendations, such as wearing facial coverings, social distancing and frequent hand washing.
Voters who have not applied to vote by mail in the August primary election still have time before the Tuesday, July 28, deadline. The Election Office will continue to mail ballots daily through that date, officials said.
The Star’s Bryan Lowry contributed reporting.
This story was originally published July 17, 2020 at 4:49 PM.
