Jackson County voters wait hours to cast early ballots outside KC. Why are lines so long?
Taylor Batson expected to wait to vote early in Blue Springs, but she let out an expletive when she saw the length of the line.
“Holy s---! But here we go.”
The Blue Springs resident was one of the approximately 170 people waiting two hours to vote Tuesday afternoon.
Jackson County residents from Raytown, Independence and Lee’s Summit and beyond cast their ballots at the Jackson County Election Board’s Blue Springs early voting location, one of two locations currently serving Jackson County residents who live outside of the limits of Kansas City.
From seniors sitting on their walkers to babies in parents’ arms, people of all ages braved the powerful winds to cast their ballots a week before the Nov. 5 Election Day in no-excuse absentee voting. 2024 is the first presidential election since Missouri expanded in-person absentee voting after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The wind was causing issues for Batson — the pages of her anatomy and physiology textbook kept getting rustled. Batson, who votes in every election, said she was motivated to go out on her free day because of “my rights, my women’s rights.”
Why are early voting lines so long in Jackson County?
This is a record-breaking year for early voting, said Tammy Brown, director of the Jackson County Election Board. In her more than 20 years with the organization, Brown said, “I have never seen this kind of turnout ever” before Election Day.
“I think it’s both parties saying, ‘Get out and vote early,’ and people are listening.”
On Friday and Saturday, voters waited up to four hours, and the election board had to add six voting machines for their satellite early voting location.
With 18 machines and 12 paper ballot stations, they are at maximum capacity at Fleming Meeting Hall, a Parks and Rec building that looks like a ranch-style house.
“We just don’t have any big buildings out here,” Brown said. With churches able to support or oppose questions like abortion, Brown said holding early voting at a church “didn’t seem prudent.”
While the Kansas City Election Board serves roughly the same number of voters, the organization has six locations compared to Jackson County’s two polling places operating at the same time.
How many people have voted early in Jackson County?
More than 10,600 people had voted early in person in the rest of Jackson County as of Monday, Oct. 28. That’s around 3.8% of the county’s roughly 278,000 registered voters outside Kansas City limits.
Just over 63,000 people had cast their in person ballots so far on the Missouri side of the Kansas City area.
What tips should Jackson County early voters follow?
Brown said that both the Blue Springs and Independence early voting locations had similar waits, each taking around 100 people an hour.
She suggested voters come prepared with a chair, water and snacks, and be sure to dress for the weather. Help keep the line moving by writing down who you’re voting for and checking your name and address ahead of time on the Jackson County Election Board website.
What are the options for Jackson County early voters?
The Jackson County Election board has three early voting locations for residents of Jackson County who live outside of Kansas City. For voters in other parts of the metro, look at The Star’s early voting guide.
- Jackson County Election Board absentee office, 110 N. Liberty, Independence, is open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Fleming Meeting Hall, 21906 SW Woods Chapel Road, Blue Springs, is open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Ranger Rec. Building, 3310 Rennau Drive, Lee’s Summit, is open Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
If you wait until Election Day, more than 50 polling locations will open up around the county.
Have more questions about elections in the Kansas City area? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 5:57 PM.
