With Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, efforts are continuing to get out the vote in Wyandotte County.
Jacques Barber, chairman of the Wyandotte County Democratic Central Committee, is encouraging people who still have mail-in ballots at home to drop them off in election drop boxes, take them to the Election Office or take them to the polls on Election Day.
He said rides are available to the polls on Election Day, and rides also are available to take mail-in ballots to drop boxes.
Last Thursday, Wyandotte County election officials stated that almost 30,000 people here had already voted through mail ballots and advance in-person voting.
Barber said voter turnout they’re seeing so far is good, and better than in prior elections.
He’s happy to see that and would like to see even more response, he said. It’s a constant challenge that there are people who are eligible to vote who don’t vote, he said.
“My goal is to try to reach as many of those folks as we can to find out the reasons why they don’t vote, and help them to understand why it is important, and the fact that their votes really do matter, and that nothing will change by not voting,” he said.
Voters in general have been very motivated this year. Some people have told him they’ve never voted before, but they felt like they had to this time, he said.
He has seen some polls, but doesn’t want to take anything for granted, he said.
“I don’t want to be complacent,” Barber said. “It’s not over ‘til it’s over.”
There was an extremely high return rate on mail-in ballots in the primary election, he said, which is an encouraging indication of the commitment of people to vote, who do vote by mail.
They have been encouraging people to vote by mail this year, he said, as an easy and safe way to vote.
“That was a big push for us, particularly in the era of COVID,” he said.
Now that there are only a few days left until Election Day, he’s encouraging people who still have mail-in ballots at home to fill them out, take them to drop boxes, the Election Office or to their polling places on Election Day, to make sure they get there on time.
Under state law, mail-in ballots can be postmarked by 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, and must be received by the Election Office by Friday, but at this time Barber is encouraging voters to drop the ballots off to the drop boxes. They don’t want to take any chances with the mail ballots not getting there by Friday.
“We really believe it’s too late to try to mail it,” Barber said. “We do encourage them and strongly suggest, if there’s a way to get it dropped off, they can drop it off in one of the drop boxes around the county, and can take it to one of the early voting sites and drop it off there. On Tuesday, they can drop it off in person at the Election Office.”
There are two ballot drop boxes at the Election Office and four others around the county to drop them off, he said. The advance mail ballots also can be dropped off at regular polling places on Election Day, during hours the polls are open.
“We have also given people rides to the polls,” Barber said. “Some were disabled and not able to drive. We were happy to arrange rides for them.”
They also have been doing aggressive phone banks and other activities to get out the vote, he said.
People who need rides to the polls or rides to a drop box can call Barber at 913-514-4605.
Also, they may call Charles Carney of Carney Disability Representative Services at 913-603-2483 for a ride to the polls, Barber said. Carney has received a grant to take disabled and elderly voters to the polls.
Early voting in person has been taking place since Oct. 20, and one last chance to vote early will be 8 a.m. to noon Monday morning at the Election Office, 850 State Ave.
There were earlier reports of provisional ballots not being available at some of the satellite voting sites. A voter whose voter registration is questioned should be given a provisional ballot. According to Democratic leaders, anyone who had been turned away earlier can return to cast a provisional ballot.
Those who received a mail ballot at home should not vote in person at the polls, but should complete the mail ballot and drop it off before 7 p.m. Nov. 3 at the ballot drop box, Election Office or polling place. The ballots in the drop boxes are being picked up each day by the Election Office.
Election Day voting in person will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 3 at the voter’s assigned polling place.
Advance voting in person will continue from 8 a.m. to noon on Monday, Nov. 2, at the Election Office, 850 State Ave.
The locations of the six drop boxes: two drop boxes at the Election Office, 850 State Ave.; one each at Kansas City, Kansas, City Hall, 701 N. 7th St.; at the West Wyandotte Library, 1737 N. 82nd St.; at Bonner Springs City Library, 201 N. Nettleton Ave., Bonner Springs; and at Edwardsville City Hall, 690 S. 4th St., Edwardsville.
For more information on voting and locations of polling places on Election Day, visit www.wycovotes.org.
Earlier stories about the election are at https://wyandotteonline.com/category/election-2020/.