Voting by mail? Douglas County election official says return it in person

LAWRENCE, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.

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Douglas County mail-in voters should skip the post office and cast their ballots in person, the county's election officer Jamie Shew said Monday.

A recent court order temporarily reinstated a three-day grace period for mail-in ballots after Election Day. Shew said to "be on the safe side," voters with mail-in ballots should submit them in person by Election Day.

Shew said a change in mail processing for cities like Lawrence means it could take up to a week for ballots mailed out of Lawrence to return to Lawrence.

“The new process is when you drop it off in Lawrence, it now has to go to Kansas City, and Kansas City, the processing station, it takes a couple days where they’re working through it, and then it comes back," he said.

Jason Gould/KSHB

Shew said Douglas County voters can turn in their ballots at any polling location — no matter their address — at a drop-off box, or at the Douglas County Clerk and Election Office, 711 W. 23rd St.

In 2025, the Kansas Legislature voted to approve Senate Bill 4, which rescinded a three-day grace period for mail-in ballots.

RELATED | Opponent, proponent react to KS legislators overriding veto, rescinding 3-day grace period for mail-in ballots

Three registered voters and three organizations challenged the constitutionality of SB 4 in Douglas County District Court. According to a Kansas Supreme Court order, that lawsuit, which lists Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Shew as defendants, remains pending.

On July 16, a day after the distribution of mail-in ballots began, the district court ordered an injunction, temporarily putting the three-day grace period back in effect.

“We kind of reversed back to the old law under that stay, which is, if it’s postmarked by Election Day and we receive it by the Friday afterwards, it can be added to the totals," Shew said.

Even with the three-day grace period, Shew recommends voters turn in their mail-in ballots in person.

Jason Gould/KSHB

“I just know Lawrence mail," said Teri Davenport, a voter in Lawrence.

Davenport said she has always voted by mail, except she doesn't put her ballot in the mail.

“They didn’t send it (ballot) to me until about a week ago, and in Lawrence, it doesn’t always get there when it’s supposed to," Davenport said.

Davenport said she prefers a mail-in ballot so she can keep it at home.

“I just prefer to do that so I can do my research at home, and then I usually bring it back in and drop it off in the box here," she said.

Shew said advance voting is popular among Douglas County voters; up to 50% in a general election and up to 40% in a primary election cast their ballots before Election Day.

Shew said advance voter turnout for the 2026 primary election in Douglas County compares with numbers recorded during the historic 2022 primary election turnout.

“We’ve been gauging against August of ‘22, which was such a huge turnout," he said. "The past three days we’ve actually matched the August of ‘22 numbers, and we have not been close to that.”

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