Sedgwick County sends out 60,000 advance ballots on first day

About 60,000 advance ballots were sent to registered Sedgwick County voters Wednesday, the first day the ballots could be mailed out.

Tabitha Lehman, the county’s election commissioner, said she expects the number to grow significantly before the Nov. 6 general election. Her office is getting about 2,000 requests daily for advance ballots.

The county had requests for 73,726 advance ballots in the 2008 general election, the last presidential election year. With just more than 272,000 registered voters, the county has 10,000 more than it had had four years ago.

“We should get more requests than in 2008,” Lehman said.

About 6,000 registered voters are on the county’s permanent list to receive an advance ballot. The rest come through requests from one election to the next.

Lehman reminded voters to sign the return envelope. Advance ballots can be mailed back in or brought to the election office at 510 N. Main, Suite One, Wichita, KS. 67203. Ballots must be in the office by 7 p.m. on Nov. 6.

Voter registration for next month’s election closed Tuesday.

This story was originally published October 17, 2012 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Sedgwick County sends out 60,000 advance ballots on first day."