How to make sure your vote counts: What to know and who to call if there’s a problem
Denette Van Hemert was very surprised to arrive at an early voting site and find out that she wasn’t registered to vote.
She’d done all the steps to register online and even had a receipt. But it turned out her application got bounced out of the system.
Her mistake? An extra letter I in Wichita when she’d typed in the name of her home city when she filled out the online form Oct. 13.
“I registered and printed it out and didn’t think any more about it,” she said. But at the early voting polling site, “when they scanned my license, they had no record of me.”
That led to a trip to the election commissioner’s office downtown, where a worker dug through the registration rejects.
“She corrected everything ... and I was eventually able to vote,” said Van Hemert, who moved to Kansas from Bakersfield, Calif. “I’m just curious on how many more were rejected for some simple thing that shouldn’t have happened. I knew that there were more because the gentleman at the early voting place, when he called (downtown), he said ‘I’ve got another one,’ just like it was an everyday occurrence.”
State director of elections Bryan Caskey said it’s not unusual; the state gets dozens, but not hundreds a month.
The problem is that the registrations are computer matched to motor vehicle records, and spelling variations send up an error flag.
“They don’t get rejected,” Caskey said. “Those applications are actually dumped into an error file and then every month we send those error files to each county. ... The county works with them and processes them and takes care of it.”
If it happens on Election Day, voters should request a provisional ballot, Caskey said.
“Every polling place in the state is trained to, if there’s a problem, to issue a provisional ballot so that we can do everything we can to correct the error . . . and get that ballot counted,” he said.
For Van Hemert, it was a happy ending. She got to vote on the regular machine.
But it’s also an object lesson on why you might want to make sure you’re set to vote when you get ready to go to the polls.
Here’s how you can make sure your vote counts (and what to do if you’re not sure).
Before you vote
First, make sure you go to the right polling place. Going to the wrong polling place is a big reason why people end up casting provisional ballots.
Your regular polling place is listed on your voter registration card. That’s the postcard-size certificate you received when you registered to vote.
But note that this was an issue with the cards in Dodge City. More than 900 newly registered voters received certificates with incorrect polling information.
So it’s doesn’t hurt to double-check online. To find your polling place in Kansas, go to https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/VoterView/Home.do
Click on the polling place tab and then enter your county, address and ZIP code to find out where to vote.
To check your overall voter registration, to make sure you are in fact registered to vote, go to https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/VoterView/RegistrantSearch.do
At the polls
The polls are open from at least 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you’re in line by 7 p.m., you must be allowed to vote. Polls in Sedgwick County will open earlier, at 6 a.m.
Voters in Sedgwick County also can vote early, from 8 a.m. to noon on Monday at the election office, 510 N. Main, Suite 101, Wichita.
You will need to show photo identification when your arrive. Common forms of ID include a driver’s license, a U.S. passport, a concealed carry permit, or a student ID from an accredited post-secondary institution in Kansas.
For a full list of acceptable ID, go to: http://www.gotvoterid.com/valid-photo-ids.html#idlist
When you arrive at the poll, you’ll need to check in. If your name is not in the poll book, it may be because you went to the wrong polling place. Check to make sure you’re at the right location.
If that still doesn’t resolve the issue, you are allowed to vote provisionally. You can also vote provisionally if you forgot your photo ID.
To vote provisionally, you will have to complete a new voter registration application. You will be given a provisional ballot envelope.
The reason for the provisional ballot will be written on the side of the envelope. Two election workers will sign the envelope.
You will then fill out your ballot. Even if your polling place uses electronic machines, provisional ballots must be filled out on paper.
The ballot will be sealed in the envelope. It will not be counted on Election Day. A county board of canvassers will decide later whether or not to count the ballot.
Your vote may still make a difference, even if it’s not counted right away. In many races, the margin of victory is bigger than the number of provisional ballots, but not always. The August Republican primary for governor came down to less than 350 votes, with provisional ballots playing a key role in that total.
If you vote provisionally, the election office can tell you after the canvassing of ballots whether yours got counted.
If you vote a regular ballot and use a machine in Sedgwick County, your voting machine will print a card to verify your choices, which you can use to double-check your votes. You will then insert the card into the counting machine yourself. You may also request a paper ballot.
What if something goes wrong?
If there’s a question about whether you can vote and election workers won’t give you a provisional ballot, ask to speak to the election commissioner.
You can call the Sedgwick County Election Commissioner’s office at 316-660-7100.
Other groups may also be able to help you.
The Kansas Democratic Party voter hotline: 833-2-VOTEKS (83570) or email election@kansasdems.org
Kansas Republican Party headquarters: (785) 234-3456
Election Protection Coalition: 866-OUR-VOTE provides assistance in English, 888-VE-Y-VOTA provides bilingual assistance in English and Spanish, 888-API-VOTE provides assistance in Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Begali, Hindi, Urdu and Tagalog
The Election Protection Coalition numbers are being promoted by the American Civil Liberties Union, League of Women Voters and other groups.
And if you see or experience problems at the polls on Election Day, you can call The Eagle at 316-268-6762 or email tips@wichitaeagle.com.
You can also file complaints with the U.S. Department of Justice.
What are the big races?
Governor: After a 343-vote victory in the GOP primary, Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach is facing Democrat Laura Kelly and independent Greg Orman in the general election. Libertarian Jeff Caldwell and independent Rick Kloos are also on the ballot.
Secretary of State: Former Uber and Google executive Brian McClendon is running against House Speaker Pro Tem Scott Schwab to take over for Kobach. Libertarian Rob Hodgkinson is also running.
U.S. House: In the 4th congressional district, which includes Wichita, Republican Rep. Ron Estes is running against Democrat James Thompson.
In the 1st congressional district, which includes much of western Kansas, Republican Rep. Roger Marshall is running against Democrat Alan LaPolice.
Sedgwick County: Three County Commission seats are on the ballot.
In District 1, Republican Pete Meitzner and Democrat Renee Duxler are running.
In District 4, Republican commissioner Richard Ranzau is facing Democrat Lacey Cruse.
In District 5, Republican commissioner Jim Howell is facing independent Jim Skelton, a former commissioner.
Learn more about the candidates in all races you can vote on in The Eagle’s online voter guide at Kansas.com/politics.
Can I watch the voting?
The short answer is no.
The only people allowed to watch voting are registered observers, who can be appointed by the political parties, or a candidate who’s on the ballot. Generally, the observers sit behind the poll workers where voters check in just before they vote. That’s why you have to state your name out loud when you vote, even though they get all your information off your ID. The main reason campaigns send observers is so they know who has voted and can skip their names when making late-day get-out-the-vote calls.
If you’re not an official observer, you have to vote and leave.
I know electioneering is prohibited, but what’s considered electioneering?
Practically anything that shows support for a candidate or issue on the ballot. That includes buttons, caps, T-shirts or other campaign apparel or paraphernalia. And that’s enforced even if it doesn’t mention a candidate by name.
While you’re in line to vote, you can’t talk about who you plan to vote for anywhere that others might overhear.
One thing to know: The radius where electioneering is prohibited is 250 feet from the door of the polling place. At some polling places, that door is more than 250 feet from the driveway entrance to the parking lot, so people can legally wave signs there as you drive in.
Contributing: Hunter Woodall of the Kansas City Star
Learn more
Find out about the candidates in the digital voter guide at Kansas.com. Punch in your address and see the candidates you can vote on and where they stand on issues.
This story was originally published November 3, 2018 at 1:30 PM.