November 1, 2020
A Note From Scott....

Dear friends:

It is hard to believe the general election is only a few days away. Our local election officials have done a tremendous job preparing for the general election amid the coronavirus pandemic. Please thank them for their service.

Before you cast your ballot, take advantage of our online services to preview your ballot, confirm the location of your polling location, or to locate your county's in-person advance voting locations. More information on how to prepare to vote is below.

Thank you for the honor of serving as your Kansas Secretary of State. If our team can be of any assistance to you, please contact our office at 785.296.4575 or email Scott.Schwab@ks.gov.

All my best,
Scott Schwab
Kansas Secretary of State
2020 ELECTIONS

With just days until the general election, we want to encourage you to take the time to vote on, or before, November 3.

How to vote
Over 500,000 advance by mail ballots have been sent to voters who submitted an advance by mail ballot application. For those who requested an advance by mail ballot, do not delay in returning your ballot! Also, remember to sign the outside of the envelope and follow the instructions listed! This is an important part of the process to verify the identity of Kansas voters.

Pursuant to state law, advance by mail ballots MUST be postmarked on or before Election Day and received in your local election office by close of business on Friday, November 6. Although you can return your ballot through the mail, the best way to ensure your ballot is returned on time is to:

  • Hand deliver it to your local election office;
  • Drop off at any advance in-person voting location in your county;
  • Drop off at any polling place in your county on Election Day; or
  • Place it in a secure election drop box.

We have received several reports of voters who requested advance by mail ballots, but changed their mind and chose to cast a ballot in-person. If you are one of those individuals, you will be given a provisional ballot in-person to ensure you only vote once. Provisional ballots are counted following the election, at the county canvass.

The deadline to request an advance by mail ballot has passed. If you wish to vote before Election Day, you will need to cast an advance in-person ballot. As always, you will be able to vote in-person at your polling place on Election Day.

Where to vote
There is still time to advance vote in-person! The deadline to cast your ballot advance in-person is NOON on November 2. You can preview your polling location here, or contact your local election office.

Kansas is historically among the top 10 states in how quickly voters can cast their ballots. On Tuesday, the lines may appear to be long due to social distancing measures, but they should move at a consistent pace.

When to vote
Pursuant to Kansas state law, polling locations must remain open for 12 consecutive hours on Election Day. Most polling locations are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time. Some counties may offer longer hours. Contact your county election office here for more information.

If you are in line when the polls close, STAY IN LINE! You will be allowed to vote!
COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS

The health and wellbeing of voters and election workers is of paramount importance to state and local election officials. Several measures have been adopted to protect the public against COVID-19.

  • PPE Kits have been purchased for every polling location in Kansas. Each kit contains 12 eight ounce bottles of hand sanitizer, 3 bottles of hand sanitizing spray, 9 boxes of two-ply wipes (100 per box), 100 face masks, 200 gloves, a kit checklist, use instructions and four handwashing encouragement signs;
  • Anheuser-Busch donated hand sanitizer to election officials ahead of the November election. In Kansas, we received 559 gallons of hand sanitizer and 2,237 eight-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer;
  • Plexiglass shields have been installed at polling places to create a transparent barrier between voters and election workers;
  • Vendors of election equipment have provided sanitization best practices to local election offices to ensure election machinery is frequently and properly sanitized;
  • Polling location guides have been updated to allow greater distance between voting booths, election workers and voters;
  • 180 additional secure election drop boxes have been deployed throughout Kansas to provide additional opportunities for voters to return their advance by mail ballots; and
  • Single use stylus pens will be given to Kansas voters to limit common touchpoints. One end has a stylus point to use on electronic voting machines while the other has a ballpoint pen for voters who prefer paper ballots.
PHOTO ID REQUIRED

State law requires Kansas voters to show photographic identification when casting a ballot in-person. Pursuant to Governor Kelly's Executive Order 20-66, voters whose state-issued photo identification expired on or after March 12, 2020 may be used as identification at the polls.

The following documents may be used to meet photo ID requirements:

  • State driver's license or ID card
  • U.S. Passport
  • U.S. Military ID
  • Tribal ID card
  • Government employee badge or ID
  • Kansas post-secondary education institution student ID card
  • Concealed carry license
  • Public assistance card issued by a government office.
SCHWAB ISSUES MASK GUIDANCE AT POLLING LOCATIONS

Article 5, Section 1 of the Kansas Constitution states there are three criteria to be qualified to vote in Kansas: age, citizenship, and residence. If an individual is a properly registered voter, state law requires that they be allowed to cast a ballot. We strongly encourage voters to follow their county health guidelines. However, no individual, who is otherwise qualified to vote, shall be turned away from a polling location in Kansas for wearing, or not wearing, a mask.
ELECTION NIGHT RESULTS

We are excited to announce additional features on our election night reporting page for the general election! These changes allow even greater user accessibility and we hope you enjoy them.

Please remember that the results you see on election night are unofficial! Although a winner may be declared by campaigns, political parties, and various news outlets, local and state election boards must certify the election results after all ballots have been counted - including provisional ballots and advance by mail ballots.
HOLIDAY HOURS NOTICE

Please note our office will be closed on the following dates:

  • Wednesday, November 11 - Veterans Day
  • Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27 - Thanksgiving
  • Thursday, December 24 and Friday, December 25 - Christmas
Scott Schwab | Kansas Secretary of State
Memorial Hall | 120 S.W. 10th Street, Topeka, KS 66612
785.296.4575 | sos.kansas.gov