JoCo election commissioner shares tips to ensure mail-in ballots are counted

Out.

They have to be heldacccountable."IF YOU HAVE DECIDEDWHICH CANDIDATE YOU'LLVOTE FOR...THE NEXT STEP IS MAKINGSURE YOUR VOTECOUNTS.AS PART OF OURELECTION COVERAGETONIGHT...41 ACTION NEWSREPORTER ARIELROTHFIELD GOT ANSWERSAS TO WHY HUNDREDS OFVOTES WERE NOTCOUNTED IN AUGUST....AND WHAT ELECTIONOFFICIALS SAY YOU MUSTDO THIS NOVEMBER.WHEN IT COMES TOMAKING HIS VOICE HEARD,BEN CHAMPION PREFERSTO VOTE IN-PERSON.Ben Champion/ VoterIt just seems like the norm."AND SO DOES LISAROHRBAUGH.Lisa Rohrbaugh/ VoterThat is one of the things Iwould worry about with mail-invoting because it sometimesseems to be complicatedCOMPLICATIONS THAT CANLEAD TO YOUR VOTE NOTCOUNTING FOR MANYREASONS.Connie Schmidt / Johnson CountyElection Office CommissionerThey often forget to sign it.THE BIGGEST MISTAKEELECTION OFFICIALS SAYTHEY SEE WITH MAIL-INBALLOTS IS VOTERS NOTSIGNING THE OUTSIDEENVELOPE,WHICH IS REQUIRED FORYOUR BALLOT TO BECOUNTED.IN JOHNSON COUNTY, 108VOTERS DID NOT SIGNTHEIR BALLOT ENVELOPEConnie Schmidt/ Johnson CountyElection Office CommissionerIt means we have to do a lof work on our end to try andget ahold of voters so theycan come in and cure thatproblem so that we can countit.

But there are a lot of stepswe have to go through andthere's always a potential toreach the voter and then wecannot count the ballot."AND THAT'S NOT ALLAriel Rothfield/ 41 Action NewsBefore you drop your ballot offhere at the post office, theare two really important thingsyou have to know.

1.

Yourballot has to be postmarkebefore 5PM on Election Dayand 2.

Your ballot must arrito the election office beforethe close of business on theFriday after Election DaConnie Schmidt/ Johnson CountyElection Office CommissionerIt's totally out of our control,it's in the control of the postofficeFOR THE AUGUST PRIMARYIN JOHNSON COUNTY 673BALLOTS WERE NOTCOUNTED BECAUSE THEYWERE POSTMARKEDAFTER ELECTION DAY.Connie Schmidt/ Johnson CountyElection Office CommissionerThat's a problem.IN WYANDOTTE COUNTY 50BALLOTS ARRIVED AFTERTHE FRIDAY DEADLINE,MEANING THEY TOO WERENOT COUNTEDLisa Rohrbaugh/ VoterIt's very important that myvote is counted.

I would feelterrible if I had some inklingthat it wasn't.

I think it'sveryimportant that everyone's votedoes count otherwisedemocracy doesn't workREPORTING IN JOHNSONCOUNTY.

ARIELROTHFIELD.

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