Kansas Democrats announced Monday that they would conduct the presidential primary completely by mail because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There will be no in-person voting on May 2, according to the announcement.
Instead, all registered Democrats will receive a ballot in the mail, the announcement stated. Only registered Democrats will receive a ballot.
According to a news release, more than 10 percent of the polling places that were originally signed up as in-person sites have independently canceled their contract with the Kansas Democratic Party because of safety concerns about in-person voting and the novel coronavirus.
The candidates on the Kansas ballot will include Joseph R. Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Tulsi Gabbard, Bernie Sanders and uncommitted.
Ballots were mailed on March 30 to all registered Democrats in Kansas, according to the announcement. There is an official Democratic presidential primary ballot, a secrecy sleeve and return envelope to enclose and return. The ballots are prepaid and do not require a stamp.
On April 7, the Kansas Democratic Party will send a supplemental ballot mailing to recently registered Democrats who were not included in the March 30 mailing.
Registered Democrats who have not received their ballots by April 10 may request another mail-in ballot until April 24 by calling the KDP office or filling out an online form at https://kansasdems.org/request-mail-ballot. This form will not be available until April 10.
Voters should mail their ballots back so they may be received by May 2, according to party officials.
Vicki Hiatt, chair of the Kansas Democratic Party released this statement:
“Removing our in-person voting locations for the 2020 primary was an extremely difficult decision to make but the unprecedented gravity of COVID-19 has required significant changes to our operations to ensure the safety of all Kansans during this electoral process,” Hiatt stated. “The KDP maintains its commitment to a fair and transparent election and I want to assure all concerned Kansans that we are doing everything possible to make sure their voices are heard in the 2020 Primary. Kansas was already well-positioned for this pandemic due to our vote-by-mail component and we are confident that the changes we have made to our schedule will expand the accessibility of this process for all voters who would like to participate in the 2020 Primary election.”