Less than a week remains to register to vote for the Nov. 5 election. Early voting also begins next week.
Anyone who needs to register to vote must do so by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15.
Registration is available both online and in person in many places, including the Allen County Courthouse and city halls. To see if you are registered or to register online, go to allencounty.org and click on “Check Registration Status.”
Advance voting begins Oct. 16 at the Allen County Courthouse, and will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until the day before the election, at noon Monday, Nov. 4.
You can also request an advance ballot; applications are available at the courthouse, on the county’s website or at sos.ks.gov. Once you receive your advance ballot, it can be returned by mail or dropped off at the courthouse.
A dropbox will be stationed in front of the courthouse for use at any time, and will be monitored by a security camera. The drop box will be emptied at the end of each day.
Mail-in ballots are accepted through Nov. 8, if they are postmarked on the election day, or prior.
ALTHOUGH turnout is likely to be high because of the presidential election, voters will have few decisions to make at the local level. They’ll decide a county commission seat and whether to increase the county sales tax; most of those running for county offices do not have challengers.
The lone contested race on the ballot is for voters in County Commission Dist. 3, where Republican John Brocker will face off against Independent Jon Wells.
Brocker, who owns Allen County Realty, was appointed to the county commission in 2018 and served nine months.
Wells, a history and political science instructor at Allen Community College, currently serves on the Iola City Council and previously was mayor.
Incumbent county office holders who are not challenged include:
County Commission Dist. 1 representative David E. Lee
County Clerk Shannon Patterson
County Treasurer Darolyn Maley
