Popularity of advance voting should ease poll congestion Tuesday
Long lines continue to be the rule at Douglas County Courthouse as people file in to cast their vote early. Enlarge video
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The thousands of voters piling into the Douglas County Courthouse for advance voting are making it easier for the remaining traditionalists, who'll be lining up at polls on Tuesday.
Thank goodness, reports Jamie Shew, county clerk.
Even after hiring an additional 300 temporary workers for the coming election, Shew shudders to think what might have been in store at the polls had he not been able to mail out ballots and collect votes in advance - a tally that already had surpassed 18 percent of all registered voters Friday morning, with a major expansion of advance-voting availability still to come.
"This helps a lot," said Shew, as voters extended a line behind him outside his office Friday. "I expect about an 80 percent turnout, which would really overwhelm our polls, even though I have double the poll workers. Many of our polling places are not set to deal with a thousand people; many of our elementary schools can't handle a thousand people, so : it's a convenience for voters, but it also helps us in just managing the influx of people on election day."
In all, 83,175 county residents are registered to vote in elections that will determine a U.S. president, a U.S. senator, two U.S. representatives, a handful of statehouse legislators, two county commissioners and a number of other office holders. Also to be decided is whether Lawrence residents will pay up to another 0.55 percent in sales taxes to finance infrastructure needs and transit services.
Many residents haven't wasted any time making their choices official.
Since advance voting opened Oct. 15 at the courthouse, election personnel have distributed ballots in record numbers. Overall turnout had approached one out of every five eligible voters just before lunch Friday, even before today's expanded efforts to accept advance ballots in Baldwin City, Eudora, Lecompton and, yes, Lawrence.
The reported turnout tally includes people who actually voted in advance, and others who had requested advance ballots to be mailed to their homes.
Residents in two Lawrence precincts have topped the turnout list thus far, Shew said: 31 percent in precinct 19, which votes at Brandon Woods at Alvamar, 1501 Wakarusa Drive; and 29 percent in precinct 48, which votes at Langston Hughes School, 1101 George Williams Way.
Advance voting ends at noon Monday. Polls throughout the county will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
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KansasPerson (anonymous) says…
I wonder if it's too late to volunteer as a poll worker? I have some free time on that day.
somebodynew (anonymous) says…
KP - my wife suddenly has "time on her hands" also, and called Douglas Co. last week. They said they were full but kept her name and number for last minute stuff.She is thinking of calling her policital party to see if they need help getting people to the polls.That was just Dg Co, don't know about the others.
dlarson (anonymous) says…
I don't have any free time. I'm too busy posting on this site!