Can I vote in person instead of returning my mail-in ballot to Sedgwick County?
Early voting in Sedgwick County is over, so if you haven’t cast your vote, you’ll have to do so at your assigned polling place on Election Day.
There have been several ways to vote throughout Kansas’ election season: in person early, in person on the day or through a mail-in ballot.
Mail-in ballots have a deadline to apply and have to be returned in person by Election Day or via mail, postmarked by Nov. 5 and received by Friday, Nov. 8. But what if you requested a mail-in ballot but changed your mind? Can you choose to vote in person instead?
In Kansas, those who requested a mail-in ballot can still vote in person, but they will be given a provisional ballot at a polling place to make sure they only vote once.
Voters who vote through provisional ballots will receive guidance on how to make sure their ballot was counted. Provisional ballots will be considered at the county canvass and will be kept in a sealed envelope by election officials until they determine that the voter is qualified to vote.
According to Sedgwick County, there are multiple reasons why someone would be required to cast a provisional ballot. In the mail-in ballot case, the reason would be that the voter was listed in the registration book as an “advance voter.”
Other reasons include:
- Voter’s name is listed different in their registration
- Voter’s address is different then the address they’re registered under
- Voter is unable to show their ID to poll workers (the voter will have to provide a copy of their ID to the election office before the county canvass)
Sedgwick County polling places are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. You can find your polling place by entering your first and last name as well as your date of birth on the Kansas Secretary of State’s VoterView website.
As long as you’re in line by 7 p.m., you can cast your vote.
