Know Your Voting Rights in Kansas
The General Election Registration Deadline is October 13, 2020.
The General Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2020.
Polls in Kansas are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Any issues at the polls: call 1-866-OUR-VOTE. For English and Spanish, 888-VE-Y-VOTA. For Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, and Tagalog: 888-API-VOTE.
Learn more about voting during the COVID-19 pandemic here. Para español, haga clic aquí.
Can I vote in Kansas?
You can vote in Kansas if you meet all of the following qualifications:
- You are a United States citizen
- You are a resident of the state of Kansas
- You are at least 18 years of age
How do I register to vote in Kansas?
There has been a great deal of confusion about the ways to register to vote in Kansas. You can register to vote in three ways. Regardless of the method you use, you will be able to vote in all elections. The three ways are:
- Using the federal voter registration form: Register online at www.ksvotes.org or print and mail to the address listed on the form at www.eac.gov/voters/national-mail-voter-registration-form. Citizens using the federal voter registration form do not need to submit a birth certificate, passport, or similar “proof of citizenship” document.
- At the motor vehicle office, while applying for a new driver’s license or renewing an existing driver’s license. Citizens who register at the motor vehicle office do not need to submit a birth certificate, passport, or similar “proof of citizenship” document.
- Using the state voter registration form, which can be filled out online or in person at your local election authority. As of March 2020, citizens using the state form do not need to submit a birth certificate, passport, or similar “proof of citizenship” document in order to complete the registration process. (See Fish v. Kobach.)
Be aware that there is a federal court case pending that could change the current proof of citizenship requirements for one or all of the registration methods before the October 2020 deadline.
What is the voter registration deadline?
In order to vote in the November 3, 2020, general election, you must submit your registration by October 13, 2020.
What if I’ve moved?
You must update your voter registration every time you move. You can do this online at www.voteks.org or by contacting your county election authority.
How do I know that I am registered?
You should receive a notice in the mail confirming your registration. You may check online at ksvotes.org or contact your local election authority to confirm your registration.
Can I vote before Election Day?
Yes! Any registered voter can vote in advance of the election. You have two options:
- Request an absentee ballot and vote in advance by mail (see further details in “Voting During COVID-19”).
- Many counties in Kansas offer advance, in-person voting. Counties may offer in-person voting up to 20 days prior to the November 3, 2020 election. Check with your local election office to find out whether advance, in-person voting is offered in your community and, if it is, what days and hours it is available.
Do I need to show photo identification in order to vote?
Yes. When voting in-person, you must show government-issued photo identification. Acceptable forms of documentation include:
- A driver’s license or identification card issued by Kansas, another state, or an Indian tribe.
- A concealed carry of handgun or weapon license issued by Kansas or by another state.
- A United States passport.
- An employee badge or ID document issued by a city, county, state, or federal government office.
- A military identification document issued by the United States.
- A student identification card issued by an accredited postsecondary institution of education in Kansas.
- A public assistance identification card issued by a city, county, state or federal government office.
If you do not currently have an acceptable form of photo ID the state will provide you a free ID. You can visit any driver’s license office, jump to the front of the line, and get one for free on or before Nov. 6th. IDs do NOT have to have the voters’ current address. They are for photo and name verification only. Your photo ID is used to verify your face and name. If you forget your ID, you can vote a provisional ballot. But you must then show your photo ID at the election office before the county canvass.
Where do I vote?
You must vote at the polling place to which you’re assigned. Your assigned polling place will be listed on the voter registration acknowledgment card that you receive in the mail. You may also contact your local election authority to find out where to vote. You may also look up your polling place at www.ksvotes.org.
Although Kansas passed a law in the 2020 legislative session permitting a voter to cast a ballot at any polling location in the county, the law will not be in effect during the 2020 elections, and voters must cast their ballots at their assigned polling location.
What if I have problems at the polls?
If you are not on the voter list, first ask a poll-worker to check the list again and to confirm that you are the right polling place for your address. If you’re at the right polling place, but your name isn’t on the voter list, ask for a provisional ballot.
If you’re at the wrong polling place, ask for help to find the right one.
If someone tries to harass or intimidate you, tell a poll-worker right away. If you’re unable to resolve the problem by speaking with a poll-worker, call the ACLU of Kansas’s Election Protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
Can I still vote if I have been convicted of a crime?
If you were convicted of a misdemeanor, you can vote. If you were convicted of a felony, you can vote once you complete your sentence (including any probation or parole) and have your rights restored. You will have to re-register to vote once your sentence is complete. K.S.A. 22-3722.
Can I miss work to vote?
Your employer must provide time off work to vote—unless the polls are open for two hours before or after your work shift. The total time off allowed is two hours, less the time the polls are open before or after work. Your employer can specify the particular time when you may be absent as long as that time is not during a regular lunch break.
ADA access is incredibly important to ensure people with disabilities have equal access to voting opportunities—178,900 Kansans have ambulatory or movement-related disabilities, accounting for 7% of the voting-age population and 122,100 Kansas have cognitive or mental disabilities, accounting for 4.8% of the voting population.
Below is a quick checklist of ADA access, but click here for the full handbook for disability accessibility in voting.
1. Advertise curbside voting, with signs at each accessible parking spot?
2. Use an ADA accessible button system to alert workers inside that a curbside voter wishes to vote?
3. Polling places must be accessible:
- Polling places with between 1-25 parking spots are required to have at least 1 van-accessible spot with at least 96 inches of adjoining access aisle space;
- Polling places with between 26-50 parking spots are required to have at least 1 van-accessible spot with at least 96 inches of adjoining access aisle space and an additional space with an adjoining 60-inch wide aisle;
- Polling places with between 51-75 parking spots are required to have at least 1 van-accessible spot with at least 96 inches of adjoining access aisle space and two additional spaces with adjoining 60-inch wide aisles; and
- For each additional 25 spaces offered at the polling place, an additional accessible space with adjoining 60-inch wide aisle is required.
If you find a poll that does not meet these requirements, please report it to the Election Protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE or complete the form here.
Provisional Ballots
Provisional ballots are used to record a vote when there are questions about a voter's eligibility—these questions must be resolved before the vote can count. If you are asked to file a provisional ballot or you request one, be sure you know why.
If you are told you are ineligible to vote, you have a right under federal law to cast a provisional ballot, which is used to record a vote when there are questions about a voter's eligibility.
To make sure your provisional ballot counts, you must go to your county election office to resolve the issue (i.e., provide photo ID) before the canvass when provisional ballots are counted. Your provisional ballot may only partially count if you are at the wrong polling location. The only parts of a provisional ballot that are counted are races and questions identical to the correct ballot for a voter’s precinct.
Some of the most common reasons to cast a provisional ballot include:
- The voter's name is not on the voter rolls for the given polling location.
- The voter does not have photo identification.
- The voter's registration contains inaccurate information, such as a wrong address or misspelled name.