MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
Reno County Clerk Outlines Voting Deadlines, Election Preparations
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County residents have until Oct. 13 to register to vote or update their registration for the Nov. 3 general election, County Clerk Jenna Fager said during an interview on the BW Morning Show.
Advance voting will begin Oct. 14 at the Reno County Annex. Fager said her office is receiving an increase in voter registrations and applications for advance mail ballots as preparations continue for the election.
“If you're already registered and you don't need to change anything, then you do not need to re-register each election,” Fager said. “You will remain registered.”
Residents who have moved or changed their names should update their registration by the deadline. Voters can check their registration, view their ballot and confirm their polling location through the county website, RenoCountyKS.gov.
Registration is available through the county clerk’s office, city offices, the DMV and online through a link on the county website. Registration cards also are available at the public library’s front desk.
Fager said party affiliation does not restrict voters’ choices in the general election because candidates from all parties appear on the November ballot.
Advance voting at the annex will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Wednesday hours extended until 7 p.m. The annex also will offer voting on the Saturday before the election, Oct. 31.
The county will begin mailing advance ballots Oct. 14. The deadline to request an advance mail ballot is Oct. 27.
Completed ballots can be returned through the drop box outside the annex or delivered directly to election office staff. Fager said the drop box is checked daily.
Two satellite advance voting opportunities also are planned. Hutchinson Community College will host voting on Tuesday, Oct. 20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Wesley Towers will host voting on Thursday, Oct. 22 during the same hours.
Any Reno County voter may use those satellite locations, Fager said.
Election Day polling locations will remain the same as they were for the August primary. Residents can confirm their assigned location and its address on the county website.
Meanwhile, election staff are testing voting equipment before it is sent to polling sites. Fager said the county checks 50 ballot tabulators and 50 accessible voting machines.
“We actually test every piece of equipment prior to it going out, making sure that it's tabulating everything correctly,” Fager said.
Staff run test ballots representing every precinct through the tabulators, using ballots marked in different ways. They compare each machine’s results with the expected totals before sealing the equipment.
The equipment is delivered to locked facilities the night before the election. Election staff verify seal numbers when collecting results after voting ends.
Fager said results cannot be retrieved until polls close at 7 p.m. The county’s first report will include early and advance votes, followed by results from Election Day polling locations as they arrive.
Polling boards reconcile their ballot totals before returning equipment and election materials. County staff then double-check those numbers.
The clerk’s office also is seeking election workers. Fager said the county hires about 175 board workers for each election, along with evening staff who help check in materials and verify numbers.
Workers can be as young as 16, although half-day shifts are not available.
“If anybody out there is interested, please call our office,” Fager said. “We would love to have you.”
You can reach the county clerk's office via phone at (620) 694-2934.