Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Tabitha Lehman told county commissioners that the 2020 General Election was the most challenging election she has overseen, thanks to the political climate, the pandemic and her cancer battle.
She said 70 percent of the county's 322 thousand registered voters turned out to vote with over 68% participating in early voting and by mail.
Lehman says Sedgwick County and Kansas avoided questions and issues that came up in other states' voting process.
"A lot of those (questions) were because they are not able and allowed to start opening advanced by-mail ballots until Election Day or the day after and start counting them. So when people are concerned that they're just now counting ballots and ‘oh they found all these ballots.’ No they didn't. Their laws don't allow them to count them before Election Day like ours do," she said.
Lehman said the county added drop boxes, additional voting locations and equipment to help avoid long lines at the polls, something very important this year with social distancing and fear of large gatherings amid the pandemic.
Chairman Pete Meitzner thanked Lehman and her staff for a safe, secure and accurate election.