Sedgwick County has a record number of registered voters. But there’s room for more

Sedgwick County has nearly 25,000 more registered voters now than during the last mid-term election, and people still have a few more days to register before the Nov. 6 general election.

A record 299,466 people were registered to vote in Sedgwick County as of Friday afternoon, and officials are processing a backlog of more than 1,700 registrations, election commissioner Tabitha Lehman said. The backlogged registrations have been submitted within the past couple of days.

The number of registered voters is the highest ever. There were 275,499 registered voters for the 2014 mid-term election; 294,138 for the 2016 presidential election; and 295,294 for the special congressional election in April 2017

People have until Tuesday to register before the November election, and election officials are extending office hours to give people more opportunity. The Sedgwick County election office, 510 N. Main in Wichita, will be open until 7 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday because of increased registration traffic, Lehman said. Would-be voters can also register online at https://www.kdor.ks.gov/Apps/VoterReg/Default.aspx if they have a valid Kansas driver’s license or non-driver’s identification card.

The county is also looking to hire more than 100 election day workers. Any registered voter in the county — or a 16 or 17-year-old who is otherwise eligible to vote except for their age — may apply for the paid positions. The workers are needed to help staff 73 polling locations in anticipation of a high voter turnout.

More information on how to apply to be an election worker is available on the Sedgwick County election office website or at 316-660-7119.

This story was originally published October 12, 2018 at 11:18 PM.