Despite requesting additional funds for an “expansion in early voting locations” in their budget request, the Johnson County Election office has reduced the number of early voting locations from 18 to 12. While some locations were replaced and two new locations were added, eight locations were completely removed without being replaced by viable alternatives, many of which were located in predominantly low-income areas and in areas densely populated by people of color.

The eight advanced voting locations that are now closed accounted for 39,653 out of 209,305 total early votes in Johnson County, or 19% of all early votes cast in Johnson County, in the 2024 General Election. These now-closed locations are as follows:

1. Olathe Downtown Library
2024 General Election advanced votes: 7,123
This location lies within one of the lowest income areas in the county. While the median income of Johnson County is around $109,000, the median household income in this area is roughly $49,000. More than 1/3 of the residents in this Census tract are Black or Hispanic.

2. Oak Park Library
2024 General Election advanced votes: 3,388
A quarter of the population in this neighborhood, which borders one of the poorest Census tracts in the county, is Black or Hispanic. Median household income in the surrounding neighborhoods is around $52,000, and around 27% of individuals live below the poverty line. This is the closest early voting location for some of the most marginalized communities in Overland Park.

3. Johnson County Community College Midwest Trust Center
2024 General Election advanced votes: 8,041
This location hugs the I-35 corridor in northwest Overland Park, and the next closest early voting location was previously at Oak Park Library. Both locations have been removed.

4. Central Resource Library
2024 General Election advanced votes: 3,641
This location completes a “triangle” with the JCCC Midwest Trust Center and the Oak Park Library, serving some of the same marginalized communities in Overland Park. As seen on the map below, this leaves a large swath of eligible voters in Overland Park without easy access to early voting locations, especially for those who already face barriers to voting.

5. Tomahawk Ridge Center
2024 General Election advanced votes: 3,007
The Tomahawk Ridge Center is a community center in south Overland Park. While in a relatively wealthier area of the city than the locations mentioned above, it borders lower-income communities to the north and is a trusted community resource.

6. Westwood City Hall
2024 General Election advanced votes: 2,000
This was the most northeast early voting location in Johnson County, which had the potential to serve not just Westwood residents, but residents in surroundings areas such as Mission and Fairway. Northeast Johnson County is left with the Johnson County Northeast offices for early voting. Assigning just one early voting location for all of northeast Johnson County is insufficient.

7. Johnson County Sunset Offices
2024 General Election advanced votes: 7,336
The closure of the Johnson County Sunset Offices is yet another loss to the Olathe area, a city with higher rates of poverty and a larger proportion of Black and Hispanic voters.

8. Leawood City Hall
2024 General Election advanced votes: 5,117
The closure of Leawood City Hall leaves the city of Leawood with no early voting locations.

The changes in early voting location availability are mapped below, using additional demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau below.