Election Facts
Partisan Elections - Open and Closed Primary
When Elections are held
Terms of Office
Resignations/Filling Vacancies
Mail Ballot Elections - Jurisdictions and Voters
Overlapping Jurisdictions
Polling Places - Hours - Campaign Signs- Poll Agents
Questions on the Ballot - Deadlines
Partisan Elections - Open and Closed Primary
Who Votes in the Primary Election
Technically, all Johnson County voters may vote in the August primary election.
The Democratic August Primary Election is open to unaffiliated voters and voters registered as Democrats. Unaffiliated voters may vote in the primary without changing their affiliation to be Democratic if they prefer.
The Republican August Primary Election is open only to those registered as Republicans and unaffiliated voters who wish to affiliate as Republicans by filling out a new declaration card on election day.
Libertarian, Reform, and Unaffiliated voters are eligible to vote on non-partisan races and questions, if any. All relevant non-partisan items and questions also appear on the Democratic and Republican ballots.
Primary voting rules are established by the parties and state law, and are not established by the election office. Voters may cast only one ballot in any election.
The Election Office does not distribute campaign/candidate information. A voter may contact the party headquarters for candidate position information.
Click here for Political Party Headquarters.
When Elections are held
National, State and County elections are held in the fall in even-numbered
years.
City, School, Johnson County Community College, Water, and Drainage elections are held in the spring.
Water and Drainage Districts do not have primaries.
Precinct committee people are elected in August of even-numbered years.
Judges are on the November ballot for retention in even-numbered years.
Johnson County Commissioners are elected in even-numbered years and are non-partisan positions. Candidates are in a primary election if 3 or more file for one position. The 2 candidates in a primary receiving the most votes will advance to the general election. If 2 or less file for one position, these candidates only appear on the general election ballot. If a district does not have a filing, this position will only appear on the general election ballot as a write-in.
There are no write-ins in primary elections unless there are no candidates for the position. Committee people have write-ins even if there are candidates.
General election ballots always have a space for write-ins.
Terms of Office
United State President and Vice President - term of office begins on January 20.U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives - term of office begins on January 3.
- U.S. Congress begins on the first Tuesday in January of odd-numbered years. It lasts two years and is divided by year into a first and second session. Elections to Senate and House seats are held in November of even-numbered years.
- The U.S. Senate has two Senators from each state and they serve 6 year terms. One-third are elected every two years and Senators from the same state are not elected in the same year.
- The U.S. House of Representatives has 435 Representatives and they serve a 2 year term.
State Officials - term begins the second Monday in January.
- The State Legislature convenes on the second Monday in January for three months. It reconvenes around the third week in April and continues until finished.
- Kansas has 40 state senators and 125 state representatives. State Senators are elected to 4 year terms. State Representatives are elected to 2 year terms.
State Board of Education term begins on July 1.
- The 2nd State Board of Education District is the 7th, 8th, 10th, and 11th Senate Districts.
- The 3rd State Board of Education District is the 9th, 23rd and 37th Senate Districts.
County Officials - term begins the second Monday in January.
City Officials - term begins with and include the first regular meeting of the governing body following certification of the election.
Johnson County Community College Trustees - term begins on July 1.
School Board Members - term begins on July 1.
Water District Board Members - term begin on May 1.
Drainage Districts Board Members - term begins upon election.
Township Officials - term begins on the second Monday in January.
- Trustees and Treasurers are elected in years divisible by four.
- Clerks are elected in the opposite even years.
- Trustees, Treasurers and Clerks are voted on by voters or can be a candidate and hold office in the respective townships plus these 3rd class cities: Edgerton City votes for McCamish Township; Spring Hill City votes for Spring Hill Township.
Resignations/Filling Vacancies
In 1st and 2nd class cities, the City Council fills a vacancy by appointment
until the next election. An unexpired term is filled at the next election.
Roeland Park has an election after each resignation.
In 3rd class cities, the City Council fills a vacancy by appointment until the next election. There are no unexpired terms.
Johnson County Community College fills a vacancy by appointment. There are no unexpired terms.
In state district races, an election for an unexpired term is held at
the next scheduled election if less than half the term has been completed.
If more than half the term has been completed, a convention of committee
people (of the same party) for that district is held. The committee people
elect a candidate to fill the position. The governor appoints the candidate
to the position.
Mail Ballot Elections - Jurisdictions and Voters
MAIL BALLOT ELECTION
What is a Mail Ballot Election?
A mail ballot election is an election conducted entirely by mail. Ballots are mailed to registered voters; ballots are marked by the voters and returned by mail to the Election Office. Ballots may also be returned in person at the Election Office during regular business hours or by using the drop box after hours. All ballots must be returned by 12:00 noon on Election Day.
A mail ballot election may only be conducted for a “question-submitted” election, such as a school district seeking voter approval of a bond issue for the district.
Mail Ballot Election Day
The mail ballot deadline is 12:00 noon on Election Day. Ballots returned after the noon deadline cannot be counted. Election Day is always on a Tuesday.
How Do I Get a Ballot?
Voters residing within the voting district, who are registered at least 30 days prior to Election Day, automatically receive a mail ballot. Ballots are mailed beginning 20 days before Election Day.
Voters registering within 30 days before Election Day, but before the Voter Registration deadline (14 days before Election Day), must apply for a mail ballot using a Replacement Mail Ballot Form provided by the Election Office. A Replacement Mail Ballot Form is available only at the Election Office or on the Election Office Web site ( www.jocoelection.org). The Replacement Mail Ballot Form must be received in the Election Office not later than the Friday prior to Election Day for a ballot to be mailed to any voter.
For a mail ballot election, there will not be any polling places open on Election Day or any other time. To vote in a mail ballot election you must receive a ballot by mail. Voted ballots can only be returned by mail or delivered in person to the Election Office, 2101 E Kansas City Road, Olathe, KS 66061.
Voters who do not receive a ballot by mail may complete the Replacement Mail Ballot Form at the election office, by mail or by fax to receive a new ballot.
Make certain you are a registered voter!
If you are a registered voter, you are already registered for a mail ballot election. You can view your voter information by visiting the Web site ( https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org ).
Voter registration for a mail ballot election closes 14 days before Election Day. Anyone who registers to vote up to 30 days before Election Day, but before voter registration closes, is eligible to apply for a mail ballot. A ballot will not be sent automatically.
A voting district resident may submit a voter registration application and a Replacement Mail Ballot Form together. The voter registration application must be postmarked or received in the Election Office by the date voter registration closes. A Replacement Mail Ballot Form must be received in the Election Office by the Friday immediately prior to Election Day. No ballot will be mailed to any voter after Friday.
First-Time Voter
If you are a first-time voter, you are required to provide proof of identification. If you are voting in Johnson County for the first time, you are a first-time voter. If you are a former resident and have moved back to Johnson County, you are a first-time voter. The identification you provide (send a copy, not the original) must contain your name and photo or your name and current address. The name and address on the identification and the name and address on your voter registration must be an exact match. Acceptable ID includes:
Name and photo
Kansas Driver’s License
Kansas Non-driver’s Identification Card
Ppassport
Name and address
Utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or other
government-issued document showing your current name and address.
The Certificate of Voter Registration is not proof of identification.
First-time voters who fail to provide the required identification must provide proof of identification to the Election Office before the County Canvass in order for your ballot to be counted. The County Canvass is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Monday after the election.
Voter Instructions for a mail ballot election (See Return Envelope)
Every ballot mailed will include instructions on voting the ballot and completing the return envelope. No postage is necessary to return voted ballots if mailed in the United States.
Only one voted ballot is permitted to be returned in each return envelope. It is impossible to determine the validity of multiple ballots in the same envelope, and as a result none are counted. In a mail ballot election, a person casting more than one ballot voids all ballots cast by that person.
The back of the return envelope has an AFFIDAVIT OF VOTER. The voter, and only the voter to whom the mail ballot was sent, must sign this affidavit. No one else may sign for the voter. Power of Attorney is not valid for voting. Write the voter’s address on the line provided underneath the signature line. The voter’s signature and current address are required by Kansas Statute. If the affidavit is not signed by the voter, Kansas law prohibits anyone from opening the envelope or counting the votes on the ballot. The Affidavit of Voter must be signed for the ballot to be opened and counted!
The back of the return envelope also has an AFFIDAVIT OF ASSISTANCE.
A voter who is sick, disabled, or is not proficient in reading the English language may need the assistance of another person to mark and/or return the ballot. Any such person providing assistance to a voter must sign the Affidavit of Assistance. Note that the person providing assistance is not allowed to sign the Affidavit of Voter. Power of Attorney does not apply to voting.
What is the deadline for returning ballots to the Election Office?
All ballots cast in a mail ballot election must be received by the Johnson County Election Office on or before 12:00 noon on Election Day. If you are mailing your voted ballot to the Election Office, you must mail it early so that it will arrive in the Election Office not later than 12:00 noon on Election Day. If you are not confident that the US Postal Service will deliver your ballot to the Election Office by the noon deadline, you may deliver your ballot in person. All ballots personally returned to the Election Office on Election Day must be received by 12:00 noon. Ballots which are received in the Election Office after the deadline cannot be counted.
Privacy protection and the secret ballot
The privacy and secrecy of your vote is maintained by a careful and deliberate procedure when voted mail ballot envelopes are opened. All envelopes are opened by a special election board. When the envelopes are opened, the ballot is removed and placed face down in one pile to prevent anyone from seeing how the ballot is voted. The empty envelope is placed in a separate pile.
After the ballots are separated from the envelopes, the empty envelopes are banded and placed in a storage box, then ballots are unfolded and flattened.
Ballots are then inserted into an optical scan ballot reader which counts the vote or votes cast on each ballot. After ballots are scanned, they are placed in a storage box and sealed.
Election Results
Unofficial results are posted at the Election Results link on the Election Office Web Site as soon as results are available on Election Day. Official final results will be posted to the Web site after the Board of Canvassers meet to consider Provisional Ballots and certify the election.
Overlapping Jurisdictions
Part of Spring Hill city (south of 215th St.) is in Miami County.
Part of Lake Quivira is in Wyandotte County.
Part of De Soto city is in Leavenworth County.
Part of Bonner Springs city overlaps from Wyandotte County into Johnson County.
The Water District overlaps into Wyandotte and Miami Counties.
The Blue Valley (USD #229), Spring Hill (USD #230), and Gardner-Edgerton (USD #231) school districts overlap into Miami County.
The Eudora (USD #491) school district overlaps from Douglas County into Johnson County.
The Wellsville (USD #289) school district overlaps from Franklin County into Johnson County.
Most of the 10th Senate District is in Johnson County, but part of it is in Wyandotte County.
Part of the 23rd Senate District is in Miami County.
Part of the 38th Representative District is in Johnson and Douglas Counties.
Part of the 39th Representative District is in Johnson, Leavenworth and Douglas Counties.
State Board of Education, 2nd District, is in Johnson and Wyandotte Counties.
State Board of Education, 3rd District, is in Johnson, Anderson, Franklin, Linn and Miami Counties.
The 3rd Congressional District is all of Johnson County, all of Wyandotte County, and part of Douglas County.
Polling Places - Hours - Campaign Signs - Poll Agents
Polling Places are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Election
Day. For presidential elections, polling places are open from 6:00
a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Everyone in the voting line at 7:00 p.m. is entitled
to vote.
Campaigning and/or campaign signs are not allowed within 250 ft. of any entrance to any polling place on Election Day.
Poll agents (official observers) must carry written authorization. The form may be obtained from the Election Office.
Liquor may be sold on Election Day.
Questions on the Ballot - Deadlines
Primary Elections - Deadline is the same as candidate filing deadline.
Spring Elections - General Election ballot - Deadline is the day of the Primary Canvass which is the Monday following the election.
Fall Elections - General Election ballot - September 1 unless it
falls on a Sunday or holiday.
Site last updated: May 1, 2009 11:47 AM
Please send any comments or questions to the developer at election@jocoelection.org or to the Johnson County Election Office 2101 E. Kansas City Road, Olathe, Kansas 66061. Phone: (913) 782-3441. Fax: (913) 791-1753.
Map to the Election Office
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Relay Center: 1-800-766-3777 Nationwide: 711