By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Some of the races in the 2022 General Election, especially at the state level, remain contentious with just a few days remaining. The Barton County Clerk's office has been taking early votes since Oct. 19 ahead of next Tuesday's Election Night. Clerk Bev Schmeidler provided an update and a reminder about Saturday's special hours.
"We've had a little over 930 come in and vote early," she said. "We've mailed out 830-plus ballots to people in the mail. We'll be open for early voting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Wednesday), Thursday, and Friday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Next Monday it's only from 8 a.m. until noon. We have to stop at noon by law."
All early in-person voting is done on the second floor of the Barton County Courthouse. Poll places will be open on Election Day, Nov. 8, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The clerk's office then has the task of compiling those results in a timely manner.
"On Tuesday night, Election Night, we will post our result on our website www.bartoncounty.org, and I believe he'll put the link right on the front page," Schmeider said. "It will say 'Election Results.' As we get those accumulated, we'll post them a couple of different times, probably. We'll do advanced first, then the early voting, then later on, do the unofficial finals for the night."
Schmeidler echoed sentiments from Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab regarding erroneous texts that have been sent to potential voters. Neither state nor county election officers will text voters. Anyone with a question about the upcoming election, or about their polling place is encouraged to call the clerk's office at (620) 793-1835. You can also find your polling place by CLICKING HERE.