What you need to know and bring to vote in Kansas’ general election
Midterm election day has arrived in Kansas.
The governor’s office and U.S. House races are on the ballot, along with statewide elected offices.
Here’s what you need to know to vote early or on Tuesday.
If you encounter any problems at the polls, please contact the Star at 816-234-4633 during the morning, or 816-234-4782 in the afternoon or evening. An editor will take your call. Send issues via email to webeditors@kcstar.com. You can also file complaints with the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Star is also partnering with Electionland, a project run by ProPublica to monitor voting issues. You can share your voting experience with the project by:
▪Text: Send the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or 投票 (for Chinese) to 81380 (standard text message rates apply).
▪WhatsApp: Send the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or 投票 (for Chinese) to 1-850-909-8683.
▪Facebook Messenger: Go to m.me/electionland
Early Voting
Voters across Kansas can vote before the Nov. 6 election. People in Johnson County can vote at six sites until 3 p.m. Saturday, according to the county’s election office website. Those sites can be found here.
Voters in Johnson County also will be able to cast early ballots until noon Monday at the Johnson County Election Office, 2101 E. Kansas City Road in Olathe.
There are three early voting sites in Wyandotte County, according to the election office. Voting at two of the sites ends at 4 p.m. Saturday while early voting at the Wyandotte County election office at 850 State Ave. in Kansas City, Kan., ends at noon Monday.
Find your polling place
To find your polling place in Kansas, go to https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/VoterView/Home.do
Click on the polling place tab and then enter your county, address and ZIP code to find out where to vote.
Poll hours
Polls in Kansas are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. If you are in line by 7 p.m. you will be allowed to vote.
Take ID
Make sure to bring a government-issued photo ID to the polls. That can include a valid passport, driver’s license or similar form of ID, such as a concealed carry license issued through Kansas, according to the Kansas secretary of state’s office. The full list of identification documents can be found here.
Voters 65 and older are allowed by law to use an expired photo ID to vote, such as an expired driver’s license.
What’s on the ballot
Here are some of the key races:
Governor: After a 343-vote victory in the GOP primary, Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach is facing Democrat Laura Kelly and independent Greg Orman in the general election.
Secretary of State: Former Uber and Google executive Brian McClendon is running against House Speaker Pro Tem Scott Schwab to take over for Kobach.
U.S. House: In the 3rd District, Democrat Sharice Davids is attempting to oust four-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder.
In the 2nd District, Republican political outsider Steve Watkins is running against former House Minority Leader Paul Davis for the open House seat left behind by retiring U.S. Rep Lynn Jenkins.
Also: Voters will pick an attorney general, state treasurer, insurance commissioner, as well as members of the Kansas House.
In Johnson County, residents will vote on four of the seven Johnson County Commission seats, including the Johnson County Chair position. In Prairie Village, voters will select a new mayor.
Editorial board endorsements
In the past, this was an opaque exercise. Unsigned endorsement editorials appeared without explanation, and The Kansas City Star editorial board hoped you would heed its advice.
This year, the editorial board wants to bring transparency to its endorsements for the November elections by explaining the process. You can read about how the editorial board makes its endorsements here.
Now, here are The Star’s endorsements:
This story was originally published November 1, 2018 at 1:29 PM.