KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Johnson County Election Office is mailing out more than 150,000 mail-in ballots Wednesday, the largest number of mail-in ballots ever issued in the county’s history.
Wednesday is the first day election officials in Kansas can begin to send out mail-in ballots.
“Voters hear that we are mailing them on Oct. 13, but they will not get the ballots until the end of the week," Johnson County Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt said. "It could even be the first part of next week before they actually get them in the mailbox at home."
The average transit time for first-class mail is between three and five days, according to the United States Postal Service.
Kansas voters can either mail ballots back to their election office or drop them at designated ballot boxes in their county.
“As soon as the voter gets the mail, open it up, vote it,” said Wyandotte County Election Commissioner Bruce Newby. “Vote it quickly, put it back in the envelope and sign the envelope.”
Kansans voting by mail must sign the back of the envelope in order for their ballots to be counted.
Wyandotte County will mail 20,438 ballots on Wednesday and Newby expects there will be more.
Voters in Kansas have until Oct. 27 to submit a mail-in ballot application.