voting

Voter Registrations, Requests For Mail Ballots Up Significantly In Sedgwick County

By • Sep 22, 2020
KMUW/File photo

Voter registrations are up in Sedgwick County, with six weeks to go until Election Day.

The Sedgwick County Election Office says more than 312,000 people are registered to vote in the general election. That’s up about 8,000 since the August primary, and about 18,000 since 2016, the last presidential election.

Intrust Bank Arena Will Be 'Mega Voting Site' For General Election

By • Sep 16, 2020
Wikimedia Commons

Sedgwick County plans to set up a “mega voting site” at Intrust Bank Arena for early voting in the November general election.

New Option For Returning Mail-In Ballots In Sedgwick County

By • Aug 10, 2020
Sedgwick County

Sedgwick County plans to install more than a dozen ballot drop boxes ahead of the November general election.

The drop boxes will be placed strategically in cities around Sedgwick County as a convenient option for voters to return their advance mail ballot.

Election Commissioner Tabitha Lehman says the boxes are part of COVID-19-related safety precautions for elections. She says the boxes will also help ease voter concerns about postmarks and an overwhelmed postal service.

More Kansans Voting Early Or By Mail Amid Virus Outbreak

By • Jul 29, 2020
Hugo Phan / KMUW

TOPEKA — Kansas is seeing an increase in advance voting for the Aug. 4 primary amid the coronavirus outbreak.

As of Tuesday, the number of ballots voters returned by mail is almost six times more than the ballots returned in 2016, the last presidential election year, according to data collected by the Associated Press.

The number of ballots returned by mail is also six times more than the ballots returned in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections, the same data shows. The number of advance ballots cast in person is slightly ahead of those cast in 2016.

Ruling: Kansas Must Release Names Of Provisional Voters

By • Jul 28, 2020
Carla Eckels / KMUW/File photo

BELLE PLAINE — Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab must release the names of people who cast provisional ballots in the 2018 general election, including whether their votes were counted, a Kansas judge ruled, handing a victory to a group that wants to expand voting rights.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas on Tuesday called the court’s decision a "resounding rebuke" to Schwab’s office and a win for all Kansas voters.

Organizer Of Wichita Rally Honoring Black Women Calls For Action: 'Our Power Lies In Our Vote'

By • Jun 30, 2020
Carla Eckels / KMUW

A rally in Wichita over the weekend focused on remembering Black women in the fight for racial justice. Now, organizers say they want to keep the momentum going.

Kansas To Ask Supreme Court To Save Voter Citizenship Law

By • Jun 2, 2020
Stephen Koranda / KPR/File photo

Kansas' Republican attorney general plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the state to require new voters to provide papers documenting their citizenship when registering.

Biden Wins Kansas Democratic Presidential Primary Conducted With All-Mail Balloting

By • May 3, 2020
Hugo Phan / KMUW

TOPEKA — Joe Biden has overwhelmingly won a Democratic presidential primary in Kansas that the state party conducted exclusively by mail because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden, a former vice president, was expected to prevail in Saturday's vote and capture a majority of the states delegates to the Democrats national nominating commission. Biden took 77% of the vote.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was still in the race when the Kansas party began mailing ballots at the end of March, but he suspended his campaign and endorsed Biden.

Protecting Voters From COVID-19 Will Cost Kansas Counties Extra

By Daniel Caudill • May 3, 2020

WICHITA, Kansas — Thousands of Reno County voters usually cast their ballots at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson, a central location with a high capacity.

Deputy Election Officer Jenna Fager said it’ll look different for this year’s August primary and November general election to avoid spreading the coronavirus. How different, though, she’s not sure.

“We’d have to consult emergency management and our health department and just, kind of, do the best we can,” she said.

Court: Proof Of Citizenship For Voter Registration Unlawful

By • Apr 29, 2020
Nadya Faulx / KMUW/File photo

A federal appeals court panel ruled Wednesday that a Kansas law requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote is unconstitutional, upholding a judge’s injunction that had banned its use.

A 10th Circuit Court of Appeals panel in Salt Lake City found in two consolidated appeals challenging the Kansas statute that the state law violates the Equal Protection Clause and the National Voter Registration Act.

The panel upheld the permanent injunction that U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson had imposed prohibiting enforcement of the requirement.

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