Polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today for primary election

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2, on Election Day for the primary election in Wyandotte County.


On the ballot here are a state constitutional amendment on abortion, as well as candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, governor, attorney general and other state offices, Kansas House of Representatives and judges in the Wyandotte County District Court.

Wyandotte County Election Commissioner Michael Abbott stated that depending on today’s turnout, Wyandotte County would probably have around 35 percent voter turnout.

There were about 5,020 early in-person voters, he said. The Wyandotte County Election Office sent out around 6,100 mail-in ballots and as of Aug. 1, it received 3,908 of those back, he stated.


Registered voters have assigned polling places, and have been sent postcards with information about the polling places. Voters also may check their polling places at Voter View, https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/VoterView or by calling the Election Office at 913-573-8500.


Those voters who sent for a mail-in ballot should return them by 7 p.m. Election Day, Aug. 2. More details on returning them are available at wycovotes.org.

The ballots may be returned by mail, postmarked by Aug. 2; by Aug. 2 to one of three ballot drop boxes; to the Election Office at 850 State Ave.; or to the assigned polling place on Aug. 2. Drop box locations include the Election Office at 850 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas; Edwardsville City Hall, 690 S. 4th St., Edwardsville; and West Wyandotte Library, 1737 N. 82nd St., Kansas City, Kansas. For more details see https://wyandotteonline.com/early-voting-in-person-starts-saturday/ or wycovotes.org.


Registered voters can learn their district number and see what will be on their ballot at Voter View, https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/VoterView.


Some links to stories about the constitutional amendment:

https://wyandotteonline.com/kansas-voters-diving-into-first-statewide-referendum-on-abortion-since-roe-overturned/


https://wyandotteonline.com/kansas-governor-warns-passage-of-constitutional-amendment-will-invite-wave-of-abortion-restrictions/


https://wyandotteonline.com/organization-leading-fight-against-abortion-amendment-tops-6-5-million-in-donations/


https://wyandotteonline.com/kansas-churches-leading-charge-for-constitutional-amendment-on-states-abortion-rights/


Primary contests for U.S. Senate, U.S. representative, governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state treasurer and commissioner of insurance also are on the ballot. Stories about some of these contests may be found at https://wyandotteonline.com/category/election-2022/.


A good resource on the statewide and U.S. House and Senate candidates may be found at


https://wyandotteonline.com/kansas-voting-guide-what-to-know-about-the-2022-election/

Former Kansas City, Kansas Mayor Mark Holland is running for U.S. Senate. See https://wyandotteonline.com/holland-runs-for-u-s-senate/

https://wyandotteonline.com/former-kansas-city-kansas-mayor-mark-holland-making-a-bid-for-the-u-s-senate/

https://wyandotteonline.com/two-u-s-senate-candidates-from-kansas-sign-term-limit-pledge/


https://wyandotteonline.com/schmidt-kelly-campaigns-at-odds-on-approach-to-medicaid-expansion-in-kansas/


https://wyandotteonline.com/state-sen-dennis-pyle-launching-independent-campaign-for-kansas-governor/


https://wyandotteonline.com/campaign-poll-kelly-holds-slim-margin-over-schmidt-in-kansas-governors-race/

https://wyandotteonline.com/schwabs-campaign-rebuffs-election-integrity-criticism-from-kansas-gop-rival-brown/


https://wyandotteonline.com/kobachs-political-rebound-as-kansas-attorney-general-faces-another-fight-over-electability/

https://wyandotteonline.com/kansas-chamber-pac-wades-into-attorney-general-primary-for-first-time/

State representative primary contests have opposition throughout Wyandotte County.


State representative candidates are listed at:

https://wyandotteonline.com/some-state-representative-candidates-have-primary-opposition/

Other state representative stories include:

https://wyandotteonline.com/33rd-district-attracts-three-democratic-candidates/

https://wyandotteonline.com/two-candidates-run-for-republican-nomination-for-33rd-district-kansas-house/

https://wyandotteonline.com/35th-district-candidates-seek-election/

https://wyandotteonline.com/spirited-contests-seen-in-36th-kansas-house-district/

https://wyandotteonline.com/three-run-for-democratic-primary-in-37th-district/

Also on the ballot are judges in the state’s 29th District, which includes Wyandotte County District Court.

Two of the 10 judicial positions here have opposition in the Democratic primary.
They include incumbent Judge Tony Martinez, who faces opposition from David Patryzkont; and incumbent Judge Wesley Griffin, who faces a challenge from Candice Alcaraz.


Judge Wes Griffin is a past prosecutor in the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s office and was legal counsel in the legal department of the city of Kansas City, Kansas. In his position as a judge in Wyandotte County juvenile and criminal courts he has presided over 100 trials. Griffin is currently also a judge in the Wyandotte County Drug Court Program. Griffin is a graduate of Washington High School in Kansas City, Kansas. He attended Kansas City Kansas Community College and Washburn University and earned his juris doctor degree from Washburn University School of Law. See more at https://wyandotteonline.com/judge-griffin-runs-for-re-election/.


Candice Alcaraz is a prosecutor for the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office, since 2016. Her cases have included homicides, robberies, narcotics, assault and battery. She is the only black woman running for Wyandotte County judge in 2022. She served as community service chair of the Wyandotte County Bar Association from 2020 to 2021. She has volunteered with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City and the Kansas City, Kansas, West Kiwanis Club. See more at https://www.facebook.com/candiceforjudge.


Judge Tony Martinez won election in 2018 and has more than 25 years of experience as an attorney, handling criminal law, juvenile, family law, probate, trust and estate cases. From the south side of Kansas City, Kansas, Martinez is from a second-generation Mexican-American family. Martinez received his law degree from Washburn University, Topeka. He attended several schools and graduated from Bishop O’Hara High School in south Kansas City, Missouri. Diversity on the bench is important to him. He has been active in the Kansas City, Kansas, Rotary Club, the Kansas City, Kansas, NAACP, and the Armourdale Renewal Association, as well as the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Kansas City, Kansas, Downtown Shareholders. See more information at https://www.facebook.com/TonyMartinezLaw.


David Patrzykont is a Kansas City, Kansas, firefighter, who also practices law, and said if elected, he would give up his firefighter position. Patrzykont, 43, is a lifelong resident of Kansas City, Kansas. He is a 1997 Sumner Academy graduate. He graduated from Kansas City Kansas Community College with an Associates of Applied Science in Fire Science-Paramedicine. He then attended the University of Kansas, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City where he was a member of Delta Theta Phi legal fraternity. For more information, see https://wyandotteonline.com/patrzykont-files-for-wyandotte-county-judge/.


Election stories in the Wyandotte Daily can be found by clicking on the Election 2022 tab or visiting https://wyandotteonline.com/category/election-2022/.
The Wyandotte County Election Office may be reached at 913-573-8500 or email [email protected].

For more details, see
https://wyandotteonline.com/early-voting-in-person-starts-saturday/ or www.wycovotes.org.