Two Sedgwick County commissioners expressed disappointment that a 2019 election law still has not been put into effect.
Commissioner Jim Howell and Commission Chairman David Dennis voiced frustration during Wednesday’s commission meeting that the Secretary of State’s Office has not implemented a law allowing voters to cast ballots at any polling place in their community on election day.
Howell said Sedgwick County officials advocated for Senate Bill 130 and it was signed by the Governor, and he said it would do a lot to reduce long lines at county voting locations. He said “It is a Kansas law and yet we’re not able to do what that law says because the Secretary of State has not given us rules that actually makes that law workable in Sedgwick County.” Howell said the law would make every polling site a vote center. He also called for more polling sites in the county for future elections.
Dennis said when the law is put into effect, the county will have to do an analysis of polling sites to evaluate the turnout at different locations.
Secretary of State Scott Schwab has said the law won’t be in place until 2023 because of the rules and regulations that will have to be written and implemented.
The discussion on the new law took place as commissioners voted Wednesday to transfer $605,000 from a contingency fund to the Election Office to cover increased costs for poll workers and other needs during this year’s elections. The transfer will create a total budget of $2.8 million for the Election Office this year.
