Despite Trump's attacks, Kansas voters request 2020 mail ballots at historic rate

WASHINGTON -- Johnson County election workers spent Memorial Day weekend sending out roughly 380,000 applications for mail ballots — one to every registered voter in the state’s most populous county.

Kansas has allowed voters to cast ballots by mail for any reason since 1996. But the unprecedented move by county officials reflects COVID-19’s impact on the mechanics and politics of voting in 2020. Their hope is to prevent long lines in August and November, as voters elect a new U.S. senator and other office holders amid the ongoing the pandemic.

“Because of COVID-19, we’re very concerned about our voters and poll workers. So the secretary of state and county officials decided we wanted to encourage vote-by-mail, and in Kansas, we’re lucky to have that option,” said Johnson County Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt.

“And since we don’t know what the pandemic is going to look like in the fall, we decided to go ahead and mail out forms for both elections.”

Read more: https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/article243052656.html