By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
Although the Kansas presidential primary election is more than a week away, advanced voting continues across the state, including in Ellis County at the county Administrative Center, 718 Main St. in Hays.
This year’s presidential primary is March 19. It is just the third time that voters in Kansas will take part in a presidential preference primary.
Advanced voting in Ellis County is on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Early voting will end at noon on March 18.
Also new this year will be the opportunity to cast an advanced ballot from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 16 at 718 Main St.
According to the Kansas Secretary of State’s website, a preference primary is “an election where the vote totals are given to a political party to allocate delegates to candidates at the national convention. This is not a primary where the voters selected the party candidate.”
The deadline to request a mail-in ballot has already passed, but voters who did receive one will have to return it to the election office or a polling site by Election Day.
Despite the results of the prior primaries, four candidates will still appear on both the Republican and Democratic ballots.
Democratic candidates
Dean Phillips
Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Marianne Williamson
Jason Michael Palmer
Republican candidates
Donald J. Trump
Ryan L. Binkley
Nikki R. Haley
Ron DeSantis
Voters also have the option to choose "None of the Names Shown."
Voters can find a sample ballot at myvoteinfo.voteks.org, and people with questions are encouraged to contact your local election office.