July 28, 2023
Stephanie Birmingham
316-660-9370
Media Advisory for Primary Election Day Aug. 1
(Sedgwick County, Kan.) – Primary Election Day is tomorrow in Sedgwick County, with 62 polling locations open from 6 a.m. - 7 p.m. Voters can find their polling place and view their sample ballot at Kansas Secretary of State | VoterView (voteks.org).
When polling places close on Tuesday, the Sedgwick County Election Office will begin the process of reporting unofficial results for the election.
How many votes have been cast so far?
Through Thursday, July 27, 3,131 registered voters have cast early ballots so far at the advance voting locations available in Sedgwick County.
The Election Office mailed 13,309 advance ballots to voters who applied to vote by mail. So far, 6,558 ballots have been returned. Advance-by-mail ballots need to be returned by Tuesday at 7 p.m. or postmarked by Aug. 1 and received in the Election Office through the mail by Friday, Aug. 4.
Election Day Media Coverage
Please be mindful not to disrupt citizens in the process of voting. If you want to get video inside a polling location, please check in with the Supervising Judge dedicated to each site. No voting will take place at the Election Office on Election Day.
Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Laura Rainwater will be available for media interviews at the following times & locations:
- 7 a.m.: Westlink Church of Christ - 10025 W. Central Ave., Wichita
- 11 a.m.: Catholic Church of the Magdalen - 12626 E. 21st Street N., Wichita
- 4 p.m.: New Life Covenant Church - 1819 W. Douglas Ave, Wichita
Additional polling sites recommended for media coverage include:
- Andrew’s Lutheran - 2555 Hyacinth Ln., Wichita
- Grace Presbyterian Church - 5002 E. Douglas Ave., Wichita
- Church West Wichita - 3210 N. Maize Rd., Wichita
- Park City City Hall – 1941 E. 61st N., Park City
Election Night Media Coverage
An Election Office collaboration room will be available from 6:30 - 10 p.m. on the third floor of the Sedgwick County Historic Courthouse, 510 N. Main, for the media to gather to await results.
The media point of contact for Election Day is Stephanie Bergmann Birmingham, Community Relations Specialist. You can contact her at (office) 316-660-9318, (cell phone) 316-640-5561, or Stephanie.Birmingham.sedgwick.gov / Communications@sedgwick.gov.
When will results be available?
As votes cast at Election Day polling places are returned to the Election Office and tabulated, the unofficial results will be updated periodically until all precincts are reporting. The first unofficial results will include votes cast at the Election Office’s 11 advance satellite voting locations and mail ballots returned to the Election Office by Election Day.
When unofficial results are available, they will be released to these sites in the following order:
1. Sedgwick County Election Office website
https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/elections/election-results/
2. Sedgwick County social media accounts
When all votes from Election Day polling places have been returned, tabulated, and released, the Election Office will close until 8 a.m. on Wednesday. Election Office staff will be unable to respond to media requests during that time.
In the event of close races, please keep these two important things in mind:
- The results are unofficial. There will be votes to count after Election Day, including additional mail ballots and provisional ballots. Those ballots could make the difference in close races. The results will not be official until the canvass for the election is held on Aug. 10.
- There are no automatic recounts in Sedgwick County. Candidates will be able to request recounts at the conclusion of the canvass for the election.
What ballots are left to count after Election Day?
Kansas law allows mail ballots postmarked on Election Day to be counted through Friday. Mail ballots can also be returned to ballot boxes or polling places until 7 p.m. on Election Day. Those ballots will be counted after Election Day.
Additional updates to the unofficial results will be released Wednesday, Thursday & Friday after 12 p.m.
Provisional ballots will be reviewed and counted at the canvass for the election, which begins on Thursday, Aug. 10 at 9 a.m. at the Election Office. The results will be certified when the canvass reconvenes at a time determined at canvass. Media and the public are welcome to attend the canvass. Official final results will be released after the canvass.
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