‘Part of history:’ Thousands turn out for 1st day of Johnson County in-person voting
Standing outside Oak Park Mall on Saturday morning, Clarence Baker wiped tears from his eyes as he stood in line and waited to vote.
The 64-year-old man said it was his first time voting since he moved to the Kansas City area from New York City three years ago. Though he struggles to get around, Baker asked a friend to drive him to the mall for Johnson County’s first day of in-person advance voting.
Shortly after polls opened at 9 a.m., he stood in line behind about 40 other people.
“I just want to be a part of history because I’ve got a very good feeling that there’s going to be a big turnout, and they’re going to see people out in record numbers and I want to be a part of it, in person,” he said. “I need peace of mind, I need some stability.
“My family and ancestors, we fought so long for the right to vote and I’m not gonna let no one interfere with that or take it away,” said Baker, who is Black.
Baker referenced the pandemic, which has killed members of his family, and recent protests against systemic racism among his driving motivations to vote in 2020.
The Oak Park Mall was one of 10 early voting sites in Johnson County that opened on Saturday. The site, as well as others, will remain open until 3 p.m. Saturday and reopen at 10 a.m. Monday.
Early and mail-in voting was expected to increase nationwide in 2020 due to concerns about long election lines during a pandemic.
Johnson County Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt said early and mail-in voting is occurring this year at unprecedented rates. Her office has already sent out 156,000 mail-in ballots, more than ever before.
Before noon on Saturday, Schmidt said, more than 3,500 votes had been cast.
“We know our voters are energized and they proved it to us before we opened this morning,” she said. Lines had formed at all 10 locations before the 9 a.m. opening.
On Saturday, voters outside the Oak Park Mall said they wanted to get their vote out of the way and remove any uncertainty from the process by casting it in person.
Despite mistrust in mail-in voting, Schmidt urged voters who had already requested to vote by mail to continue with that plan and bring their ballots to a drop off location.
“Their vote will be counted,” she said. “If they fill out a mail ballot and put it in a drop box it’ll come straight to us.”
If voters arrive to vote in person despite requesting a ballot by mail, Schmidt said they will need to fill out a provisional ballot, which won’t be counted until the canvas board meets after election night.
Herb Spencer, a 62-year-old from Lenexa, said he didn’t trust that mail-in votes would be counted appropriately.
“I know my vote will be counted,” said Spencer, who voted for Trump.
Lanie McMullin, 25, drove to Overland Park from Wyoming to cast her vote. She said she had applied for an absentee ballot but it hadn’t arrived.
Though she tries to vote in every election, McMullin said the presidential cycle felt especially important to her.
Fernando Nieto, a 26-year-old first time voter, said he originally planned to vote by mail but chose to come in person Saturday because he worried a mail-in ballot wouldn’t arrive.
Nieto, from Lenexa, said he was motivated to vote this year because he is “fed up with Donald Trump.”
In-person advance voting in Johnson County will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m to 7 p.m. on weekdays until Oct. 31.
Advance voting in Wyandotte County will open at three locations at 8 a.m Monday.
Advance voting sites
▪ Arts and Heritage Center, 8788 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park
▪ Hilltop Conference Center, 7700 West 143rd St., Overland Park
▪ Johnson County Election Office, 2101 East Kansas City Road, Olathe
▪ Johnson County Northeast Offices, 6000 Lamar Ave., Mission
▪ Johnson County Sunset Office Building, 11811 South Sunset Drive, Olathe
▪ New Century Fieldhouse, 551 New Century Parkway, Gardner
▪ Oak Park Mall, 11327 W. 95th St., Overland Park
▪ Okun Fieldhouse, 20200 Johnson Drive, Shawnee
▪ Olathe Indian Creek Library, 16100 W. 135th St., Olathe
▪ Overland Park Convention Center, 6000 College Blvd., Overland Park
Wyandotte County (opening Monday)
▪ Wyandotte County Election Office, 850 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas
▪ Joe Amayo/Argentine Community Center, 2810 Metropolitan Ave., Kansas City, Kansas
▪ Eisenhower Rec Center, 2901 N 72nd St., Kansas City, Kansas
This story was originally published October 17, 2020 at 12:52 PM.
