17 July 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Early voting began Monday, July 17, for the primary election in Sedgwick County.
In Wichita, voters will decide on the mayor, City Council District 4, and a Wichita Board of Education at-large seat. Those races will be whittled down to two candidates per race. The two people left in each race will go up against each other in the November general election.
“The average voter is taking under a minute to vote. I think the average voter is voting in like 30 seconds because the most you are going to have on your ballot is three races. So most people only have one or two races on their ballot,” Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Laura Rainwater said.
As of noon Monday, Rainwater said about 70 people had already voted. The election office said about 10,600 advance ballots had been mailed out so far.
Early voting will run at the Historic Courthouse for the next two weeks from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. It will end Monday, July 31, at noon. Satellite voting locations will open on July 27.
Rainwater said primary election turnout for mayoral years has been slow the last two election cycles.
“So 2019, 10.2% turnout, 2015, we had a 9.8% turnout, so if you average the two, the last mayoral years, you are looking at a 10% turnout,” Rainwater said. “I hope it is much higher.”
If you want to learn more about election security in Sedgwick County, click here to see the office’s procedures.