BasehorInfo.com

With less than a week left before Election Day, some Leavenworth County residents are finding long lines at the polls.

As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 2,870 people have already cast their votes, taking advantage of advance voting.

Advance voting has been available at the Leavenworth County Courthouse to all county residents who want to take the trek up to Leavenworth, but the Election Office made it easier for southern county residents by bringing the polls to them.

Linda Scheer, Leavenworth County Clerk, said Tuesday that 280 people took advantage of the satellite polling station Monday at the Tonganoxie Public Library.

The polling station moved Tuesday to the Linwood Community Center and was open most of Wednesday at the Basehor Public Library, 1400 158th St. At 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, a line wrapped around the library building and voters had an hour wait.

Now, advance voting will be available only at the courthouse during regular hours until noon Monday. After that time, voting will have to be done at the registered voter’s assigned polling station from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Scheer said the Clerk’s Office also has mailed out more than 2,300 ballots for those who want to vote in advance by mail. Those voters have until 7 p.m. Tuesday for the Clerk’s Office to receive their ballots them to count.

So far, Scheer said 43,157 county residents are registered to vote in this fall’s general election, though those numbers haven’t been finalized.

In 2004, 40,616 county residents were registered to vote and 27,492 voted.