INDEPENDENCE, MO — KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Grain Valley. Share your story idea with Claire.
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Thousands of voters are turning out early in Jackson County, with the majority casting their ballots over the last week.
The Jackson County Election Board, which covers cities outside of Kansas City's limits, reports approximately 11,329 returned absentee ballots.
Of those, 9,748 were absentee walk-in votes which started Sept. 22. That breaks down to 8,260 no-excuse absentee in-person votes since Oct. 20.
—Early voting surges in Jackson County amid high stakes election—
At the Jackson County Absentee Office on Independence Square, voters shared what's driving them to the polls early. For many, the motivation is to ensure their vote is cast.
"I think, um, that everybody wants changes, and there will be a lot of people that will want to, uh, to vote on that day, and there will be a long, you know, a lot of long lines," Ashante Payne said.
"I don't feel a greater sense of urgency. I feel it's always important to vote," Paul Henrich said.
Others pointed to what they see as a high-stakes election, like Robert Brashears accompanying his daughter for her first time.
"I've voted, I don't know how many elections for me. This is probably the most consequential in the history of our republic. There's just so many things going on right now that I think we need to reverse from. And get back on course before it's just too late," Brashears said.
"It is my first term voting, and I think it's important to vote because I'm Gen Z and I feel like a lot of Gen Z aren't going to go out there and vote. So I think it's a good way to show that people my age are voting as well," Zoe Brashears said.
For some, specific issues are top of mind.
"I don't like high prices. I don't like the, the problems that are dealing with our immigrants. Uh, I think those are terrible. I don't like the war in Iran. I don't like much that's going on right now," Marla Lambert said.
"Well, I got to get it done. We got to vote, get some of these amendments and bills and everything else on so we can keep some of our money," Lynnette Carter said.
As a reminder, where you live determines which election board you vote through. If you live in Kansas City proper, you do not vote through the Jackson County Election Board, but instead through the Kansas City Election Board.
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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