Election Commissioner Laura Rainwater expressed hope Tuesday that the county would reach 25% voter turnout. As of 3:30p.m, she said the turnout was at 18.8%.
This year’s ballot in Wichita includes the mayoral race, three city council races and several Wichita school board races – the at-large spot will be voted on by the entire city.
5:00 p.m.: Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Laura Rainwater said that as of 3:30p.m., she has hope that the county will see 25% voter turnout.
“There’ll be a big push from 4 to 6 with dinner rush, on the way home from work,” Rainwater said during a press conference at the Eastminster Presbyterian Church polling site. “So I’m thinking we’ll approach the 25% voter turnout.”
The latest voting numbers as of 3:30 p.m. reported 30,645 voters on election day and 16,167 advanced ballots received. Including the 15,722 who casted an early vote, the county is at 18.8% voter turnout, Rainwater said.
Rainwater said other than minor paper jams, there haven’t been any big issues with voting today. She said she also has not heard complaints about long lines at any of the voting places.
What voters are saying
12:15 p.m.: Voters at the polls Tuesday weighed in about why they voted for incumbent Mayor Brandon Whipple or his challenger, Lily Wu.
Some said they liked the person they voted for. Others said they had concerns about the person they didn’t vote for.
Loren Pack teaches at Wichita State University. The 63-year-old voted for Whipple.
“This one is so politically fraught,” he said. “There is some power behind some people. I chose Brandon Whipple because he talked about policies and I didn’t hear policies coming from the other person.”
About Whipple’s fracas with police, he said it didn’t concern him:
“Bad day,” he said. “The majority of who he is was not represented by the incident.”
Kirk Eck, a 58-year-old photographer, also voted for Whipple.
“I like him a lot,” Eck said. “I think he’s done a really good job. I don’t like Lily Wu’s backers. I have a problem with that. The money she is taking in.”
Jenny Vaughnhas long followed Lily Wu’s television career and often pointed her out to her daughters as someone to look up to.
Vaughn’s household is a cultural mix, with her daughters being Asian, like Wu.
“I feel like we need her representation in this city,” the 53-year-old speech therapist said. “I feel like we have a lot of boundaries and I think everyone deserves opportunities no matter where they live, no matter what zip code. I feel like she understands that.”
With Whipple, she added: “His whole cigar episode was kind of annoying.”
Karyn Shorter, a 33-year-old homemaker, brought her children with her to vote around lunchtime. She said Wu had visited her husband’s business, which does aircraft machining, and they have supported her campaign.
“We like her vision for Wichita,” she said. “A fresh voice. Her pro-business mindset.”
Shorter also had concerns about Whipple.
“We really do not love the relationship he has kind of neglected with the police,” she said. “We trust Lily’s dedication and commitment to all of our emergency personnel.”
Thousands cast ballots Tuesday morning
11:15 a.m.: Voting has been “going so well,” but there have been a few minor incidents of paper jams, Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Laura Rainwater said.
She said it’s typical and expected when using so many machines. Those voters were just moved to a different machine to vote.
“It’s just your every day when you are dealing with electronics and machines ... minor stuff,” she said.
During an 11 a.m. news conference at Evangel Presbyterian Church, she said that 14,850 people had cast their ballots in person so far Tuesday. That number was from about 10:30 a.m., she said.
That number brings voter turnout to 14% so far. It was at 20% for the 2019 general election when Wichita also had a mayoral race on the ballots. She expected about 30,000 people to vote in person on Tuesday.
There was no line at the church around 11 a.m.
Voting in Sedgwick County opens smoothly
7:30 a.m.: In-person voting started off smoothly Tuesday morning, Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Laura Rainwater said during a 6:30 a.m. news conference.
“Just smooth,” she said at Riverside Christian Church in Wichita. “We have not had any problems at our polling sites this morning. Not anticipating any lines.”
There was no line at the church. People were in and out in just a few minutes. Wichita voters are deciding on a mayor, city council members and school board members.
“My opinion is our local elections ... those impact us more in our daily lives than any other election,” she said.
Early voting and the mail-in ballots received so far accounted for 15,722 and 14,534 of the roughly 332,000 registered voters in the county. Based on what she’s been told, she expects as much as double that number of people to go to the polls today — so roughly 30,000 people to vote at 85 sites across the county.
She expected the number of voters to pick up between 7-8 a.m. as people go to work. It usually will also pick up at lunch time and at the end of the work day.
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What Wichitans are voting on
Mayor Brandon Whipple is running for re-election against challenger Lily Wu, who outperformed him by 2,442 votes in the nine-candidate primary. All Wichita residents can vote in this race.
Three other seats on the City Council in Districts 2, 4 and 5 are also on the ballot; you must live in these districts to vote in these races.
All voters within Wichita Public Schools boundaries will get to weigh in on USD 259’s only at-large race between Melody McCray-Miller and Brent Davis. Voters in two south Wichita districts will also pick district-specific representatives.
Early morning voters traveled through a thick morning fog to vote at Life.Church West Wichita around 7 a.m. Jaime Green The Wichita Eagle
Derby, Goddard, Haysville and Valley Center all have school board races this year. A mix of mayoral and City Council races are also on the ballot for Derby, Goddard, Haysville, Valley Center, Andover and Park City.
Once you’ve accessed the voter information portal, enter your first and last name and your date of birth. After you click “look up,” you can view your voter registration information, a sample ballot and the address of your polling place.
If you encounter problems, you can also email The Eagle at tips@wichitaeagle.com, and we will check it out.
Can I still return my mail-in ballot?
Yes, you can drop off your advance ballot at your polling location or any of the county’s drop boxes through 7 p.m. on Election Day.
The drop box locations for the general election are, according to the county’s website:
Boston Recreation Center, 6655 E. Zimmerly, Wichita
Evergreen Park Recreation Center, 2700 N. Woodland, Wichita
Sedgwick County Health Department, 1900 E. Ninth St., Wichita
Orchard Recreation Center, 4808 W. Ninth St., Wichita
Linwood Recreation Center, 1901 S. Kansas, Wichita
Sedgwick County Courthouse, 525 N. Main, Wichita
Bel Aire City Hall, 7651 E. Central Park, Bel Aire
Haysville Police Department, 200 W. Grand, Haysville
Valley Center City Hall, 121 S. Meridian, Valley Center
Clearwater City Hall, 129 E. Ross, Clearwater
Maize City Administration, 10100 W. Grady, Maize
Derby Public Library, 1600 E. Walnut Grove, Derby
Fire Station 35, 1535 S. 199th St. West, Goddard
Fire Station 32, 7750 Wild West Road, Park City
You can also snail-mail your ballot to the Sedgwick County Election Office, but it has to be postmarked by Election Day and has to arrive by 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10 to be counted.
The mailing address is Sedgwick County Election Office, 510 N. Main St., #101, Wichita, KS 67203.
Where can I find Wichita election results?
The Eagle will have comprehensive coverage of Election Day, including returns Tuesday night at Kansas.com.
Contributing: Matthew Kelly, Lindsay Smith of The Eagle
This story was originally published November 7, 2023 at 5:55 AM.
