AUDIO: County Clerk Says Mail Ballot Apps Exceed 4K So Far; Requests 10x Higher Than Normal

FILE PHOTO By Brady Bauman: The Cowley County Clerk’s Office in Winfield during the 2018 Midterm Elections.

The Cowley County Clerk’s Office has already received 4,300 advanced mail-in ballot applications, according to Cowley County Clerk Karen Madison Thursday morning.

Madison said those ballots will be mailed out to registered voters on Oct. 14.

“That’s about 1,000 more than we sent out in the primary,” Madison said during an on-air interview during Thursday morning’s Get Up & Go Show on KSOK radio. “Normally we send out between 400 and 600, so we’re 10-times the amount that we usually send out.”

Madison said the deadline to request a mail ballot is Oct. 27.

Madison said mail ballots are not new to Kansas or Cowley County. Kansas has allowed voting by mail since 1996.

“I’ve been in office for 15 years and it’s been there the whole time,” she said. 

Madison said early voting, especially early in-person voting, has increased in recent years, but added that the coronavirus pandemic has sharply increased awareness of mail ballots.

The deadline to register to vote — whether it’s for early voting or to vote on election day — is Oct. 13, and can be done by stopping by the clerk’s office in Winfield or by registering online via the county’s website.

Madison’s full interview from Thursday morning’s Get Up & Go Show can be heard below:

Advanced In-Person Voting Schedule For The County Clerk’s Office, 321 E. 10th, Winfield:

October 19 – 23 from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM

October 26 – 30 from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM

November 2 from 10:00 AM to Noon

Advanced In-Person Voting Schedule At The Water Treatment Plant in Ark City, 400 W. Madison:

October 26 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

October 27 – 30 from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM

To see a copy of your ballot and your polling location visit https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/voterview