The election is upon us. Here’s what you need to know.
Advance voting
Advance voting in person ends Monday at noon. For where you should go, check this county-by-county list.
If you are sending in your ballot by mail, the ballot needs to be postmarked by Tuesday — Election Day — and it needs to reach the election office by the Friday after the election. You’re best off double-checking that the postal staff do postmark it.
If you hadn’t requested a mail ballot, the deadline has passed to do so.
Voting at the polls
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at least. Some polling sites open earlier.
You can find the address of your polling place here. If you can’t recall whether you are a registered voter, check here. If you aren’t registered, it’s too late to register for Tuesday’s election.
If you show up at your polling site and for some reason are not on the registration rolls, you have the right to fill out a provisional ballot. But before you cast that provisional ballot, ask the poll workers if you simply went to the wrong polling site. If so, they can point you in the right direction.
The American Civil Liberties Union also has a hotline for anyone who experiences problems at the polls. 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
Don’t forget your photo ID
You need to show an approved form of identification at the polls. Here’s a list of your options.
If you don’t have one, you can get one for free at your local DMV office. Tell the clerks that you need a free ID for voting purposes and they will move you to the front of the line.
What are the races?
Everyone gets to vote in the statewide races for governor, attorney general, secretary of state, insurance commissioner and treasurer. After that, your candidates for Congress and the Kansas Legislature vary.
View our voter guide for the statewide races and Congress here.
Here’s the candidate list. If you need to know which districts you vote in — for example, which legislative seat — you’ll find those details in your online voter record.
You can also check the League of Women Voters guide for a list of candidates on your local ballot, and candidate surveys (where candidates responded).
Below this story you’ll also find links to Kansas News Service features on the major races.
Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. You can reach her on Twitter @Celia_LJ.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to the original post.
