How to cast a vote that counts
Today is Election Day for city and school board races. Here’s a look at what you need to know before going to the polls.
Where to go
To find your polling place online, go to . Click on the tab marked “polling place.” Follow the prompts and type in your name and date of birth.
Or you can call the Sedgwick County Election Office at 316-660-7100 or 877-530-7194 toll free.
When to go
Polls will be open 6 a.m to 7 p.m. today. Anyone in line to vote at 7 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot.
What to bring
To vote a regular ballot, you’ll need a government-issued photo ID. If you don’t have an ID with you, you can vote a provisional ballot and provide your ID to the election office later in person, by e-mail, fax, or mail. Your vote will count as long as your photo ID is received by the beginning of the official canvass of ballots on Nov. 15.
How to write in a vote
When using a touch-screen voting machine, tap the button on the screen that says write-in. That will pop up a touch-screen keyboard where you can type the name of the person you want to vote for. You can also request a paper ballot.
If you go to the wrong place
Although the state Legislature passed a law this year to allow voters to cast a ballot at any polling place in their county, Secretary of State Scott Schwab hasn’t written the regulations to implement the change.
If you do find yourself at the wrong polling place, you can go to the right one. Or if you don’t have time or transportation for that, you can request to vote a provisional ballot. You may not get the same ballot you would have gotten at your home precinct. Your votes will only be counted in races where you’re eligible to cast a vote.
If you have a mail ballot
If you filed for and received a mail ballot but haven’t sent it back yet, you can drop it off at any polling place on Election Day. Or you can go ahead and mail it and it will be counted as long as it’s postmarked on Election Day.
Free bus rides
The city of Wichita is offering free bus rides all day for the election. You can ride for free even if you aren’t heading out to vote.
Learn about candidates
You’ll find a voter guide at Kansas.com
How to follow results
You can follow the updated unofficial election results throughout the evening on sedgwickcounty.org/elections/election-results. The available results will include results for each candidate on the ballot and a tally of the number of write-in votes cast. The results on election night will not provide a breakdown of write-in votes by candidates. Results are also available, after 7 p.m., at Kansas.com by clicking on “Unofficial Election Night Results” near the top of the web page.
Results will not be available in time for Wednesday’s print edition. Full coverage will be available on Kansas.com.
When will we know who won?
If a race isn’t close, results on election night are a good indicator of who won. If a race is close, an official count of votes won’t be completed until Nov. 15. If there are enough write-in votes that they could decide a race, Sedgwick County commissioners will vote on each variant spelling on Nov. 15 starting at 9 a.m.
This story was originally published November 5, 2019 at 2:18 PM.
