If using mail ballots, vote early for general election

Wyandotte County Election Commissioner Bruce Newby said today that anyone who is using a mail ballot for the general election, Nov. 3, should try to return the ballot early by mail.

Thirty-eight percent of those who voted in the Aug. 4 primary election voted by mail ballots, Newby said.

There were a total of 23,781 votes cast, with 9,071 voting by mail, he said. There were 11,616 ballots requested.

He said the 38 percent of all votes cast, as well as the rate of return, were both “extraordinary.”

In the general election, Wyandotte County residents may again vote by mail, in person on Election Day, or in advance at three selected polling places on designated days.

Residents may be weighing their decisions on how to vote in the general election, given that disruptions in the postal service have been discussed recently at the national level. An announcement was made in the past day from the postal service that any action that could slow the election, such as decommissioning mail sorting machines would be halted.

Newby said mail ballots for the general election can either be mailed back or returned in person. If they are returned in person, they have to be brought on Election Day to the Election Office at 850 State or to a polling place by 7 p.m. Nov. 3, he said. If they are returned by mail, state law says the ballot must be postmarked by Election Day and must be received by the Election Office by Friday after the election, he said.

“The critical thing is making sure the post office puts the postmark on the ballot,” he said.

While the state law says ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, Newby cautioned voters not to wait until the deadline. He said it was better to get their mail ballots early and vote early.

Typically, the Postal Service takes three to five days to deliver the mail here. So, those who vote by mail should not wait too long to ask for a ballot, and not wait too long to send it back, according to the election commissioner.

The application period for voting by mail for the general election began July 1, he said. Registered voters may apply now for the advance mail ballots, he said. The ballots will be mailed to voters closer to the election. The deadline for applying for a ballot is Oct. 27.

“If you wait ‘til Oct. 27 you run the risk of not getting a ballot,” Newby said. Plus, it’s virtually impossible to return it on time, unless you take it to the Election Office or polls in person, he added.

“People that wait until the deadline are taking the risk their vote won’t happen,” he said.

But, if voters do procrastinate and wait until the last minute, if they haven’t received a mail ballot by Friday before the election, they should consider voting early in person at one of the satellite sites, Newby said. The sites include the Election Office, Eisenhower Recreation Center and Amayo Argentine Recreation Center, open on some selected days before the election. The satellite centers are open on the Saturday before the election, and also, the Election Office is open for advance voting on Monday morning before the election.

Newby said a voter may vote in person even if the voter has been sent a ballot by mail. Their in-person vote will be a provisional ballot, he said. Each provisional vote is verified, and the Election Office will make sure the person has not already voted the mail ballot, he added.

In the primary election, the Election Office received four late ballots in the mail, he said. They arrived after the Friday deadline. The last one arrived on Wednesday, Aug. 12. The four ballots did not count.

The Election Office also had some ballots that were returned to them by the post office, for mail that was undeliverable or the person had moved, he said.

“We had four returned that were votes from deceased people,” Newby said. They didn’t count. “We don’t let dead people vote in Wyandotte County.”

The deadline to register to vote before the general election is Oct. 13. Party affiliation is not required for this election.

With the COVID-19 pandemic safety is a primary reason to consider voting by mail. In Wyandotte County, there are many people in the at-risk population and it is common sense to vote by mail so they’re not exposed to crowds on Election Day, he said.

Those who forget to mail it, can drop off the mail ballot at a polling place on Election Day, he added. That’s a risk, though, for people who filled out their ballot early, didn’t mail it and forgot to drop it off that day.

“If you vote by mail, get your ballot early, vote in the comfort of your home and return it in plenty of time to get it in,” he said.

For more information about the election, including voter registration information, visit the Election Office website at www.wycovotes.org, or call the office at 913-573-8500, or email [email protected].

Applications for an advance (mail-in) ballot are online at https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56606b47e4b0b9403ad6ff96/t/5c703309e5e5f09473494200/1550856969456/AV1wc_Mail_2018.pdf.

To find out if you are registered to vote and your polling place, visit https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/voterview.