Last chance before primary to switch parties

If you’re a Republican and want to vote in the Democratic state primary, or if you’re a Democrat aching to switch to Republican, you don’t have much time left.

Wednesday at noon is the deadline to change your party affiliation for the Aug. 2 primary.

This year is the first time party switches have had to be this early. It’s the result of a state law passed in 2014 to discourage Kansans from changing their party affiliations based on who’s on the ballot.

The logic behind the new law was that without it, voters could change parties just to interfere with the other party’s primary once the races had shaped up.

Unaffiliated voters can join a party on Election Day and vote in its primary, officials said.

If you want to change parties in Sedgwick County, you can contact the election commissioner’s office at 316-660-7100. They will accept in-person, faxed or e-mailed party changes until noon Wednesday.

Mailed registration forms have to be postmarked by that deadline, said Sandra Gritz, deputy election commissioner.

Or you can change your registration online at www.kdor.org/voterregistration/Default.aspx if you have a Kansas driver’s license or state ID card.

Voters who are already registered do not have to provide proof-of-citizenship documentation to make changes in party affiliation, said Bryan Caskey, director of elections for the secretary of state’s office.

This story was originally published May 29, 2016 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Last chance before primary to switch parties."