How to vote early in 2024 Kansas presidential primary for Johnson and Wyandotte counties
In less than two weeks, Kansas voters will line up for the state’s first presidential primary in over 30 years. If you vote early, you don’t have to wait until election day.
Advance voting for the election officially kicked off Feb. 28, and in-person early voting in Johnson and Wyandotte counties begins on Saturday, March 9. Election day will be Tuesday, March 19,
Whether you live in Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa, Prairie Village, Shawnee or Kansas City, Kansas, here is everything you need to know about the 2024 Kansas primary election.
Who can vote early in the Kansas primary?
Anyone registered with a party in Kansas can vote in-person at any of their county’s early voting locations. Unaffiliated Kansas voters can participate in this election as long as they declare a party on Election Day. That party will stay on the voter’s record until they change it, an Johnson County election office worker confirmed in a phone call.
Where can I vote early in the primary?
Kansas voters can cast their ballot at any of the early voting locations in their county. Here are those polling places:
Johnson County
Locations are open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Monday-Friday the week of March 11 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Three locations will be open on Monday, March 18; check the Johnson County election office’s website for details.
Arts and Heritage Center: 8788 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park
Hilltop Conference Center: 7700 W. 143rd St., Overland Park
Johnson County Northeast Offices: 6000 Lamar Ave., Mission
Monticello Library: 22435 W. 66th St., Shawnee
Johnson County Election Office: 2101 E. Kansas City Road, Olathe
JCCC Midwest Trust Center: 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park
Johnson County Sunset Offices: 11811 S. Sunset Dr., Olathe
Olathe Indian Creek Library: 16100 W. 135th St., Olathe
Olathe Downtown Library: 260 E. Santa Fe St., Olathe
New Century Fieldhouse: 551 New Century Parkway, New Century
Wyandotte County
Most locations are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Monday-Friday the week of March 11. Check hours on the Wyandotte County election office’s website.
Edwardsville City Hall Training Room: 670 S. 4th St., Edwardsville
Eisenhower Recreation Center: 2801 N. 72nd St., Kansas City, KS
Joe Amayo/Argentine Community Center: 2810 Metropolitan Ave., Kansas City, KS
Patricia Diane Kane Community Center: 3130 N. 122nd St, Kansas City, KS
Wyandotte County Election Office: 850 State Ave., Kansas City, KS
What ID do I need to bring to the polls?
In Kansas, you must bring a photo ID to vote. Here is the list of acceptable documents from the Kansas Secretary of State’s website:
- Driver’s license or ID card issued by Kansas or another state
- U.S. Passport
Student ID card from an accredited post-secondary education institution in Kansas
- U.S. Military ID
- ID card issued by a Native American tribe
- Employee badge or ID issued by a government office
- Concealed carry license issued by Kansas or another state
- Public assistance ID card issued by a government office
Who will be on the March 19 ballot in Kansas?
The March ballot will be different depending on your party registration. Here’s who made the ballots for each party.
To see your sample ballot and polling location, visit the Kansas Secretary of State’s voter registration lookup and enter your first and last name and date of birth.
Ron DeSantis has officially dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, but will still appear on the ballot due to filing deadlines.
Here’s who made the ballots for each party:
Democrat:
Dean Phillips
Jason Michael Palmer
Joseph R. Biden Jr. (incumbent)
Marianne Williamson
Republican:
Donald J. Trump
Nikki R. Haley
Ron DeSantis
Ryan L. Binkley
How do I reach my election office?
If you have questions about voting eligibility, accessibility, registration or locations, contact your local election board.
Johnson County Election Office: 913-715-6800
Wyandotte County Election Office: 913-573-8500
What’s the difference between a primary and a caucus?
Kansas has only had a presidential primary in 1980 and 1992, but the process was revived for this year through state legislation.
Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill into law that put the primaries in place for the Republican, Democratic and Libertarian parties. The bipartisan measure, House Bill 2053, only scheduled the 2024 primary, however, and did not expand it to future election years.
Kansas typically holds caucuses, which are less costly but result in lower participation.
A caucus is when the political parties hold separate meetings to decide how many delegates are given to each candidate, which depends on the number of caucus votes received. A presidential primary, on the other hand, is when balloting is conducted by the state, through an election process.
March’s primary will be a preference primary.
“It is a ‘preference’ primary because it is an election where the vote totals are given to a political party to allocate delegates to candidates at the national convention. This is not a primary where the voters selected the party candidate,” the secretary of state’s website reads.
The Star’s Natalie Wallington contributed to this report.
Do you have more questions about voting in the Kansas City area? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
