As the Nov. 8 general election approaches, some Johnson County voters will be casting their ballots in new districts.
Following redistricting in Kansas, some state House and Senate districts look different.
Before early voting begins later this month in Johnson County, here’s how to check your voting district and find out if it has changed.
The bottom line: Many voters will stay in the same statehouse districts as they have the previous 10 years. However, because the district lines have shifted, some voters may find themselves voting in different districts, or in some cases, in completely new districts.
Why some districts changed: The new districts come from newly-drawn boundaries from the Kansas State Legislature that included updated congressional and state representative districts.
- The new district boundaries spurred controversy partly due to the splitting of Wyandotte County — which raised concerns about the impact on Democratic U.S. Rep Sharice Davids’ upcoming race and potential diluting of the impact of Black and Hispanic voters.
- This ultimately led to a lawsuit on behalf of 11 Kansas residents, including three from Johnson County.
- Johnson County as a congressional district has not changed, but the redistricting will impact some Johnson Countians who have the option of electing for Kansas House and Senate races.
How do I find my district?
Johnson County has nine total state senate districts and 25 total state representative districts.
- The new maps for updated voting districts are available on the Kansas Secretary of State’s website. This includes maps for congressional districts, in addition to Kansas House of Representatives, Kansas Senate and Board of Education districts.
- Johnson Countians can compare their previous voting districts to their updated ones on the Johnson County Election Office website, which has maps of all city, county and state-level voting districts.
- Copies of these maps are also available for purchase from the Johnson County Election Office, ranging from $10 to $20.
