By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
As expected with a Presidential campaign, Barton County saw a huge jump in voter turnout this year compared to last year’s General Election. The 2019 General Election saw just under 25% voter turnout, compared to the nearly 67% turnout in 2020.
As Barton County’s Election Officer, Donna Zimmerman was
tickled to see such a good turnout during a COVID-19 pandemic.
"I was excited to see all the brand-new voters," said Zimmerman. "I think things at the polls went well. I think our new equipment went well. Overall, I think it was a really good success for us."
Out of the 16,473 registered voters in Barton County, 11,034 voted. Because of
the COVID-19 effects, Barton County had two ballot boxes, similar to a mailbox,
where voters could drop off their advanced ballots and not have to enter their
polling location. One ballot drop-off box was located in Hoisington and the
other in Great Bend.
"Early on, we had quite a bit of usage of the ballot boxes," said Zimmerman. "I think a lot of people that voted by mail got their ballots in quickly. I think they were concerned how quickly their mail might move."
Poll workers only found one ballot in the ballot boxes on their last pick-up on election night at 7 p.m....indicating voters wanted to get things done early.
Zimmerman added if there was one thing to improve on, it would making it even
more clear for rural citizens on their voting location.
Click HERE for all the local election results.