Kansas Election Results Delayed by Audits and Scanner Failures
Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab announced close-race audits for six contests, while technical failures in Rice County further delayed final election returns.
Final results for the November 3 general election in Kansas are delayed following the triggering of close-race audits and technical equipment failures. Secretary of State Scott Schwab announced that six statewide races, including the governor, secretary of state, and attorney general contests, showed margins of 1% or less, requiring all 105 counties to audit an additional 10% of precincts.
In Johnson County, five of the six races require auditing. The Johnson County Election Office rescheduled its audit to November 9 to accommodate the expanded scope. Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt noted the process is the largest in state history, requiring over 190 volunteers to hand-count between 125,000 and 130,000 ballots. Similar hand-counts are being prepared in Wyandotte County to identify discrepancies against election night totals.
Adding to the delays, Rice County reported that ballot scanner malfunctions on election night prevented automated tabulation. Rice County Clerk Rachael Manley stated that workers had to count a portion of the ballots by hand under bipartisan supervision. While these failures affected tallies for the U.S. Senate and governor races, county officials emphasized that transparency takes precedence over speed. The official canvass to certify results is scheduled for November 16.
