By Gerald Hay

All systems are “go” for the 2022 elections in Johnson County

With the approval of congressional redistricting boundaries by the Kansas Supreme Court, the Johnson County Election Office has made final changes, including 86 new precincts, renaming and renumbering some precincts, and finalize ballots for the primary election on Aug. 2. The county now has 610 voting precincts with redistricting.

The updated precinct information has been added into the Kansas Voter Registration System for Johnson County voters to search at jocoelection.org/voterview. Information will also be mailed to all households with at least one registered voter by early July. The mailer will provide the household’s polling place and precinct information for the Aug. 2 election.

Heading into the 2022 elections, Kansas voters have three different options for how they desire to cast their ballot: vote in-person on election day at a polling site; vote in-person at an advance voting site; or advance voting by mail.

Advance voting by mail has been allowed since 1996. Voters do not need an excuse to advance vote by mail ballot; however, they do need to apply to have an advanced by mail ballot mailed for each election.

Kansans who are not registered to vote have until July 12 to register for the August primary election. Voters who recently moved or changed their name should update their registration information.

“Johnson County voters over the years have mostly embraced in-person voting with an increasing trend towards advance in-person voting,” said Johnson County Election Commissioner Fred Sherman.

“State law allows in-person advance voting to begin up to 20 days before election day at county election offices or satellite voting locations.”

For the 2022 election cycle, the Johnson County Election Office is providing a greater number of advance in-person voting locations compared to past years for both the Aug. 2 election and the general election on Nov. 8.

There will be 16 total advance voting locations in Johnson County that will open in two different “waves,” according to Sherman. Advance in-person voting will be offered from Saturday, July 16, to Saturday, July 30.

Nine advance voting locations will first open on Saturday, July 16, for the primary election. This will be followed by opening seven additional advance in-person voting locations a week later on Saturday, July 23.