'Their vote is important’: Early voting underway in Johnson County amid concerns over reduced locations

KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas, including Olathe and Lenexa. Share your story idea with Olivia.

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Early voting is underway in Johnson County, but the Johnson County Election Office's decision to eliminate eight early voting sites this election cycle has drawn criticism from voters and civil liberties advocates who say the cuts could reduce access for some communities.

Most of the closed locations were in densely populated areas of the county. The election office added two new sites in Spring Hill and De Soto, but some voters question whether the overall reduction benefits the public.

"Voting is so critical, especially in this August primary. I don't want anyone to miss out on casting their vote," said Maggie Stanton, a Johnson County voter.

The election office says the decision came from a need for more consistent voting opportunities, noting that in the past, locations and schedules varied. The office says the changes were made to improve access throughout the county.

The ACLU of Kansas found the eight closed locations accounted for 19% of all early votes cast in the 2024 general election.

Among the removed sites are Johnson County Community College and the Downtown Olathe Library — locations Stanton says served marginalized groups, including young voters.

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"When we talk about young people voting in this particular instance, it's not a question of desire. The desire is there, but the access is not," Stanton said.

She also pointed to inconsistencies on the Johnson County Election Office website, saying voters searching for JCCC or the Downtown Olathe Library may still find those locations listed as early voting sites.

"The first link does list it as an early voting location," she said. "So I'm quite concerned that voters who are eager to cast their advance ballot won't have the necessary tools and information they need."

All 12 early voting sites are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through the end of next week. On Monday, Aug. 3, sites will be open from 8 a.m. to noon.

Here's a list of the early voting polling places:

• 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.

There are no changes to Election Day voting. Voters can cast ballots at their local polling place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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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