‘Tsunami of mail ballots’: Nearly half of registered Johnson Countians already voted
With five days to go before the Nov. 3 election, nearly half of all registered voters in Johnson County already cast their ballots.
As of Thursday morning, 215,362 Johnson Countians had voted, the election office reported. That’s nearly 48% of all registered voters. A record number of residents registered to vote this fall, totaling 451,963, said Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt.
The majority of ballots cast so far — 122,027 — have been returned by mail or in eight drop-off boxes placed throughout the county. As of Wednesday night, 93,335 residents had voted in person at 10 advance voting locations. Nine of those early voting sites are open until 3 p.m. Saturday, while voters can still cast ballots early at the Johnson County Election Office until noon Monday.
“Every election is a countywide celebration of democracy. … But the presidential election brings that level of anticipation and excitement to the highest level,” Schmidt said Thursday during the board of commissioners meeting. “Next Tuesday’s election is a historic — and it’s going to be a record setting — election here in Johnson County.”
Schmidt is estimating a turnout of 80% — or 361,570 voters — beating the record set in November 2008, at 78%.
Across the country, election officials have anticipated large turnout, as voters elect the president, and in Kansas, a new U.S. senator. Those numbers are driven by early and mail-in voting. To prepare for the influx, Johnson County added new advance polling places — including at the former American Girl Store in Oak Park Mall and the Overland Park Convention Center — as well as ballot drop-off boxes and an extra Saturday for voters to cast ballots.
The election office sent out 164,486 mail-in ballots this fall, setting another record. So far, Schmidt said the majority are returning them to drop-off boxes.
“Seventy-eight percent of those (mail-in ballots) have been picked up by bipartisan teams from the drop boxes. That says to me the drop boxes are a huge, huge success,” Schmidt said. “The other side of that is we’ve got the ballots back to our office quicker and faster, and that has helped us stay on top of the tsunami of mail ballots we’re dealing with.”
Sites for in-person voting and drop-off boxes are listed on the office’s website, jocoelection.org. Voters may also visit that site to find their polling location for Election Day.
What party is voting early?
So far, more registered Republicans — 54% of them — are voting early at in-person polling sites than Democrats, at 24%. But more Democrats — 46% — are voting with mail-in ballots, compared to Republicans at 37%, according to data provided by the Johnson County Election Office.
The county also reports that the increase in registered voters this fall was driven by a roughly 41% jump in registered Democrats compared to October 2016. Registered Republicans grew by around 6% in that time, although they still make up the majority of voters in Johnson County.
According to data released earlier this month, Republicans account for 43% of voters, compared to 46% in October 2016. Democrats make up roughly 30% of all registered voters in the county.
While a continual population increase can explain some of the growth, Johnson County also has been turning more purple in recent elections. That was especially apparent in 2018, when voters elected Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids and favored many other candidates in her party.
Johnson County Republican Party Chairman Fabian Shepard said despite the increase in Democrats, he remains hopeful for GOP candidates on the ballot.
“It doesn’t surprise me. When you take a look at the numbers, the advantage goes to the GOP in the county,” Shepard said. “However you’ve got large employers moving people here from the coasts, and many of them bring their liberal ideas with them to the county. That makes a big difference.”
Whether the blueing of the county continues will be seen after the results are released on election night.
‘Ready for Election Day’
On Tuesday, voters who have yet to cast their ballots can do so in person from 6 a.m. through 7 p.m.
Schmidt said she’s leading an army of more than 1,700 new poll workers. Voting machines will be spread apart to allow for social distancing, and workers will constantly sanitize surfaces.
She said her team has been working around the clock to prepare for Tuesday, but she is prepared for the most significant election of her career.
“We are ready for Election Day,” Schmidt said. “It’s unusual. It’s going to be record setting. And all we ask of all of you is to join with us next Tuesday and vote. We want to have a record-setting voter turnout in Johnson County.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2020 at 4:29 PM.
