By Matthew Fowler, Co- Editor-In-Chief
The elections coming up on Nov. 4 aren’t the type that grab national headlines, but they’re still important, said Sedgwick County Deputy Election Commissioner Rick Riggs.
And Newman students who are eligible should make time to vote, he said.
On Tuesday, Riggs was one of two representatives from the Sedgwick County Election Office who set up a booth in the foyer of the Dugan Library to help members of Newman’s community register to vote and update their registrations in time for the Nov. 4 general election. They also promoted positions for poll workers for the election.
The general election of 2025 falls on an odd year, meaning that most of the positions being filled are on the county and municipal levels.
Riggs said that November’s elections are still important even though they aren’t presidential or federal elections.
“The decisions that get made by people who are on the ballot for these local races are really close to home, and it affects people at least as much, if not more (than state or national elections),” Riggs said.
Local voters will be electing Wichita City Council Member for districts 1, 3 and 6; USD 259 district representatives for districts 1, 2, 5 and 6; and mayors for Haysville, Park City, Bentley, Cheney, Eastborough, Garden Plain, Kechi and Maize. The complete list of elections can be found at https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/elections/
If you missed the opportunity to update your registration for Nov. 4, Riggs said, you may still be able to vote.
“If there is something that is not accurate on your voter registration, if you’ve changed your name, changed your address or any of that kind of stuff … you can still vote on election day, but you will have to vote provisionally,” Riggs said.
To vote provisionally, you will fill out a paper ballot and an updated voter registration on election day, which will later be reviewed for eligibility.
To check your registration, review a sample ballot, or find your voting location, visit myvoteinfo.voteks.org/VoterView and enter your name and date of birth.
Ridge said that out-of-state students or students from other Kansas counties who want to vote should visit the county clerk or election commissioner websites and request mail-in ballots, which in Kansas must be postmarked by Nov. 4.
Riggs also encouraged students to apply for the poll worker positions. Young people play an important role in aiding the election process, he said.
“We do really like it if we could have college-age students who are helping at polling places because the average age of our poll workers is maybe over 70, and some of them have limited mobility issues or limited understanding of technology,” Riggs said. “I know whenever they have somebody that is younger … at a polling place with them, it makes them more comfortable.”
The Sedgwick County Election Office pays $8.50 an hour for election cross-trained clerks, runners and provisional ballot judges. The positions are open to Kansas registered voters or 16- and 17-year-olds that are otherwise eligible to vote in Kansas.
To apply for a poll worker job, submit an application at https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/elections/election-worker-application/
Participating in the election in any capacity, Riggs said, can provide the opportunity to learn more about the intricacies of the processes that elect our representatives.
“The more that people get involved with the process, whether it is registering, whether it is voting, whether it is working … you just learn more,” Riggs said. “There is a whole lot that goes on with elections … that people maybe do not know or do not understand, and getting involved creates more trust in the process.”
PHOTO: Matthew Fowler, Co-Editor-In-Chief
