Irrational protests over closing advance in-person voting locations in Johnson County?
The discussions should have been based on maps and fairness to everyone in the county
Updated with map of drop box locations and info about Boots on the Ground promotion.
On Tuesday Channel 9’s Andy Alcock reported the protest at the Johnson County Election Office over changes to in-person advance voting locations starting with the Aug. 4 election.
Eight advance voting locations were removed and two were added.
But did anyone look at the map at what the changes were accomplishing?
Advance In-Person Voting: 12 locations
On election day itself, in-person voting is only at one's assigned precinct, which is usually quite close for most, often only a mile or two away.
Advance voting starts more than two weeks before election day. Any Johnson County voter can vote any any of the advance vote centers starting on July 18 through Aug. 3 for the Aug. 4 primary [Dates and times will be different in other Kansas counties.]
Starting this year all advance voting locations will keep exactly the same hours:
The 12 in-person advance sites give geographic balance that was not present before with more fairness county-wide, instead of only the central core near the highways.
JoCo Population Density
Should early in-person sites only be in the red areas with the highest population density in the county?
Mail-in drop boxes: 16 locations
The JoCo Election Office provides have mail-in balloting, and 16 drop box locations across the county. How is that not convenient? How many options do voters need?
According to the JoCo Election Office: Ballot drop boxes are open 24-hours a day at these locations starting 20-days prior to election day, and close at 7:00 p.m. on election day.
Comments
Why are we sacrificing convenience in elections over everything else?
If travel distance to a voting location is a problem, voters can go to their neighborhood voting locations on election day — the way voting was meant to be.
With ever increasing taxes in Johnson County, this is another example of why reducing taxes is extremely difficult.
Protest promoted by Boots on the Ground
A local Johnson County group, “Boots on the Ground Midwest,” which is affiliated with a national Indivisible group receiving George Soros’ nonprofit funding, promoted the protest.
Irrational? No. What’s showing here is privilege.
Not everyone has reliable transportation, money for rideshares, flexible work schedules, or paid time off to vote. Many people are working two or three jobs just to get by in this economy. For them, reducing nearby advance voting locations absolutely is a loss.
Mail ballots and drop boxes help, but they are not workable for every voter. Accessibility and convenience matter because barriers - even small ones - reduce participation for working-class people, seniors, and disabled voters.
It’s easy to say “just vote on Election Day” when your schedule, transportation, and finances allow it. Many people don’t have those advantages.