KCK NAACP says Wyandotte County voters received returned mail-in ballots due to incorrect PO address

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Thousands of Wyandotte County voters may have had their mail-in ballots returned to them due to an incorrect PO address printed on the ballots.

The election office confirmed a mistake was made, but the Kansas City, Kansas, NAACP says the fix came too late for this election.

Brian Luton

Tarence Maddox, president of the KCK NAACP, said they began receiving calls about a week ago.

"About eight days ago we had our first call that someone said they had filled out their advanced ballot by mail and sent it back in and it had returned to them" he said.

The calls kept coming. Maddox said more voters—and even candidates—reported the same problem.

"We had a couple of other people including candidates who had reached out to the election office to inquire about it and when we inquired about it, that's when we were initially told by the election commissioner that there was a mistake on the advanced mail-in ballot and that mistake was the PO box address that they sent out was incorrect" Maddox said.

Maddox said the issue has since been corrected, but the damage may already be done.

"We still have over 1,500 ballots that have not been accounted for," he said. "And the bigger question is how many of them will not reach the election office for the primary election."

Maddox is now encouraging those who can to vote in person.

Voters outside the Wyandotte County election office said they were aware of the error — and that it was part of why they chose to vote in person.

Brian Luton

"Quick and easy, no lines, in and out," Daniel Lunn said.

But he said the error reflects a larger organizational problem.

"I think they need to be more organized, things like that shouldn't happen."

Brian Luton

Terry Richardson, another in-person voter, said voting in person was the only option that made sense for him given his schedule — and he said the error has real consequences.

"I work out in the city," he said. "I might not be able to get back. So, today is very important for me. "I think it’s crazy. That’s why you come here to vote to make sure you express your right and also speak up when something's wrong.”

Brian Luton

Ajhanae Franklin said she came to vote early specifically to avoid problems.

"I wanted to come and place my vote early so they're no hiccups or no mistakes happening," she said. "Everybody makes mistakes. I still think it's important that one, those voices are heard and those voices do count even if there is a mix-up in the addresses that are put on the ballots."

We reached out to the election office, but no one was available to respond.

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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