With hotly contested gubernatorial and congressional races on the ballot, you won’t want to miss casting your vote in the Nov. 6 general election.
Here’s the lowdown on registering, advance ballots, voting with a criminal record and more.
If you just need to check where your polling place is, go here.
Registration deadline
You need to be registered by midnight Tuesday, Oct. 16. With a computer it’s easy -- just don’t cut it so close to midnight that you miss the deadline.
Check here to see whether you’re actively registered and that your address is up-to-date. (Remember, you can be removed from the voter rolls in certain circumstances, so play it safe by double-checking now.)
If you’re not on the list, register online with one of two options: the Kansas Secretary of State’s website or the third-party website KSvotes.org.
Either form gets you fully registered to vote in all the races on your ballot.
To register in person or by mail, visit your county election office or print a registration form and head to your local post office. Send it Oct. 16 or earlier and make sure it gets postmarked.
If you’re headed to the DMV to get or renew a driver’s license, you can register there, too.
Regardless of how you register, you do not need copies of citizenship documents (such as a passport or birth certificate). If you run into instructions that say otherwise, those are now out-of-date.
Advance voting
You’ve got two options if you don’t want to drop by the polls on election day:
Cast an advance ballot in person. Here’s a county-by-county list of times and dates for advance voting, which vary depending on where you live.
Or contact your county election office and request a mail ballot by Tuesday, Oct. 30. Once you’ve received and completed your ballot, mail it in on election day at the very latest -- and make sure the post office puts a postmark on it. The postmark is important.
But keep in mind, even if the postmark is there, the ballot also needs to reach the election office by the Friday after the election. Otherwise you’re out of luck.
Voting at the polls
All polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the least. In some places, they may open earlier.
Don’t forget Kansas has a voter ID law. Here’s the list of acceptable forms of ID that you can show at the polls.
Who are the candidates?
There are five state races everyone gets to vote on. Beyond that, what your ballot looks like depends on where you live.
View your registration record online. If you are able to see an up-to-date sample ballot there, click on it. If not, your record will still show you the list of districts you live in for Congress, the state legislature and more. Then pull up the full candidate list and check out who is running in your district.
Voters with criminal records
Don’t assume you can’t vote. A misdemeanor conviction doesn’t disqualify you. A felony conviction does until you’re done with any prison, probation and parole time you received.
Double-check that your registration is still on the books, and if it’s not, re-register if you’re eligible.
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.
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