Media Advisory for 2026 Wichita Special Election, March 3

(Sedgwick County, Kan.) – The 2026 Wichita Special Election will take place Tuesday, March 3, with 63 polling locations in the City of Wichita open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Voters are encouraged to check their polling location, as more than 26,000 registered voters were reassigned due to unavailable locations. Voters can check their polling location and view their sample ballot at Kansas Secretary of State | VoterView (voteks.org).

When polling places close 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?

As of Friday, Feb. 27, more than 4,500 registered voters have cast early ballots at the advance voting locations in Wichita.

The Election Office mailed 11,194 advance ballots to voters who applied to vote by mail. So far, more than 5,500 ballots have been returned. Advance mail ballots can be returned to any of the 10 community drop boxes in Wichita, at any polling site or directly to the Election Office. Advance mail ballots must be received by the Election Office on Election Day, March 3, at 7 p.m. Any ballots received after will not be counted per K.S.A. 25-1132, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2026.

Election Day Media Coverage

Please be mindful not to disrupt citizens in the process of voting. Media personnel wishing to get video inside a polling location are asked to 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 and locations:

7 a.m.: Edgemoor Recreation Center – 5815 E. 9th St. N.

4 p.m.: Linwood Recreation Center – 1901 S. Kansas St.

Approx. 8:30 p.m.: Sedgwick County Historic Courthouse – 510 N. Main

Additional polling sites recommended for media coverage include:

Life Church West Wichita – 3210 N. Maize Rd.

Riverside Christian Church – 1001 Litchfield N.

St. Andrew’s Lutheran – 2555 Hyacinth Ln.

Election Night Media Coverage

An Election Office collaboration room will be available from 6:30 p.m.-10 p.m. at the Sedgwick County Historic Courthouse, 510 N. Main, Suite #305, for the media to monitor election results.

The media point of contact for Election Day is Brandon Zenner, Community Relations Specialist. You can contact him at (office) 316-660-9385, (cell phone) 816-508-8945, brandon.zenner@sedgwick.gov or communications@sedgwick.gov.

When will results be available?

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, the 10 advance satellite voting locations and mail ballots returned to the Election Office. Final Election Day results are unofficial. The results will not be official until the final canvass for the election is held on Tuesday, March 10.

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

Twitter – @SedgwickCounty

Facebook – Sedgwick County Government

What ballots are left to count after Election Day?

Mail ballots received by the Election Office by 7 p.m. on Election Day, including those that were returned to drop boxes or polling places, will be counted after Election Day.

An additional update to the unofficial results will be released Wednesday afternoon.

Provisional ballots will be reviewed and counted at the 2026 Special Election canvass, which begins on Monday, March 9, at 9 a.m. at the Election Office. The results will be certified when the canvass reconvenes Tuesday, March 10, at 2 p.m. Media and the public are welcome to attend the canvass. Official final results will be released after the canvass.

For more election information and a calendar of important dates, visit Election Office | Sedgwick County, Kansas.