KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In response to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, the Johnson County Election Office is encouraging residents to vote by mail for the August primaries and November general elections. For the first time, the county sent out mail-in ballot applications to all registered voters.
"We're operating in a big world of unknown in elections this year because of COVID-19," Connie Schmidt, Johnson County Election commissioner, said. "Voting by mail is the safest way for the voters to participate this year."
In Kansas, anyone can vote by mail so long as they fill out and submit an application. For the August primary, the deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is July 28.
The election office, according to Schmidt, had already twice the number of requests for mail-in ballots than it had of early voters in August 2018. The August ballots will begin to be mailed out to voters on July 15.
For the November general election, the last day to request a mail-in ballot is Oct. 27. Ballots will begin being mailed on Oct. 14.
"If they vote by mail and they are afraid to put it in the post office last minute, they can drop it off at any of the in-person voting locations or at their polling place on Election Day," Schmidt said.
In Missouri, absentee voting is limited to voters who meet one of six qualifications, including: absence on Election Day, incapacity or confinement due to illness or physical disability, religious belief, employment as an election authority, incarceration and certified participation in the SAFE at Home program.
This year, the state is allowing those who are 65 years old or older and are in an "at-risk category for contracting an transmitting" COVID-19 to request an absentee ballot without requiring a notary to sign off on the request. Usually, only those who are confined due to illness or incapacitated are the only ones who can submit an absentee ballot without a notary.
Mail-in ballots also are an option this year in Missouri. They have to be requested in person by July 22 at 5 p.m. for the August election. The envelope must be notarized and sent back through the U.S. mail by Election Day at 7 p.m..
"With the pandemic, we have to ensure everybody's safety," said Lauri Ealom, the democratic director at the Kansas City Election Board.
In the June election, the city lost several polling locations and workers because of the virus, according to Ealom. While the Election Board can force publicly funded places, such as schools, to be polling locations, it cannot force private entities, like churches, to open their doors.
"In order for [the election] to come off, we have to have large venues," Ealom said.
To help address the poll worker shortage, the Kansas City Election Board teamed up with Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas and other city council members to draft an ordinance that would provide paid time off to city employees who work at the polls on Election Day.
"Our goal is once they do it, they get intrigued by it and want to do it again," Ealom said.
