KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers Johnson County. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of healthcare, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
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While voters in De Soto and Spring Hill will have new early voting options ahead of Johnson County's August primary election, eight other early voting sites across the county will no longer be available.
This August, the Johnson County Election Office said these locations will be open for in-person early voting:
- Johnson County Northeast Offices, 6000 Lamar Ave.
- Arts and Heritage Center, 8788 Metcalf Ave.
- Hilltop Conference Center Blue Valley, 7700 W. 143rd St.
- Overland Park Arboretum Longhouse, 9209 W. 179th St.
- Shawnee Library, 13811 Johnson Drive
- Lenexa City Center Library, 8778 Penrose Lane
- Johnson County Election Office, 2101 E. Kansas City Road
- Olathe Indian Creek Library, 16100 W. 135th St.
- Spring Hill Civic Center, 401 N. Madison St.
- Monticello Library, 22435 W. 66th St.
- New Century Fieldhouse, 551 New Century Parkway
- De Soto Community Center, 32905 W. 84th St.
County Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt shared the updated list of locations and open hours in a letter to county commissioners, writing "the goal is to establish equal access to early voting" and to "standardize the days and hours of operation."
Kristen Ozier, a voter in Spring Hill, said the new option close to home is welcome news.
"We see the growth in Spring Hill every day," she said.
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Ozier said the convenience of voting locally fits into her busy schedule.
"I'm running an errand right now on my lunch break," she said. "If I had the opportunity to vote here in person, it would be really great."
The Spring Hill Civic Center is among the new early voting locations available this August.
Not everyone is pleased with the changes, however. The Downtown Olathe Library is one of the eight sites that will no longer serve as an early voting location.
"In terms of early voting or absentee ballot, as a military guy, those are always important things to me," said Steve Weber, an Olathe voter.
Weber said the reduction in sites will affect residents who relied on those locations.
"It's going to be inconveniencing people, so in that sense, it's a negative," he said.
Board Chairman Mike Kelly also raised concerns, saying in a statement that the reduction in sites "removes access from high-density communities" and that he wants the early voting sites to be brought back.
Kelly's full statement reads:
"I have written to interim Election Commissioner Schmidt urging the restoration of early voting sites eliminated for the 2026 election cycle, which would reduce Johnson County's network from 18 to 12 locations and remove access from high-density communities including downtown Olathe, north Overland Park, and Johnson County Community College. Early in-person voting has grown by more than 50 percent over the past two presidential cycles and is now how the majority of Johnson County voters participate, and our own 2026 Community Survey shows residents rank voting access as one of the county's most valued services. I am committed to working with the Election Commissioner to restore these sites and preserve access for Johnson County voters in August and November."
Ozier said she hopes the changes motivate more people to participate.
"Now more than ever, I feel like it's more important to get out and vote," she said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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