Sedgwick County voters have cast 34,000 early in-person ballots, a record for a midterm election in the county, KWCH reported.

The county tallied the figure as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, with Election Day on Nov. 3. Laura Rainwater, the county's election commissioner, said several factors are behind the turnout, including competitive races on the ballot.

"My number one priority was make voting more accessible to voters, because it has been proven that if you make it easy to get to, more people will vote, and that is paying off," Rainwater said, according to KWCH.

Rainwater pointed to the U.S. Senate race, the governor's race and a Wichita Public Schools bond issue as draws on this year's ballot.

Lines at satellite sites

The county opened 17 satellite voting locations on Tuesday, Oct. 27, spreading early voting across Wichita, Derby, Haysville, Bel Aire, Goddard, Park City and Valley Center. At the Derby Public Library, lines stretched into the building at various points during the afternoon, KWCH reported.

Voters interviewed by KWCH who supported different parties praised the convenience. Rob Hoefer, who said he voted mostly Republican at the Derby library, called the satellite sites convenient. Margaret Bauer, who said she voted mostly Democratic, appreciated the option for people who might not be available on Election Day.

Statewide, more than 200,000 early ballots had been cast across Kansas as of Tuesday, according to data from the Kansas Secretary of State's Office cited by KWCH. That total included more than 160,000 early in-person votes and the return of more than 42,000 mail-in ballots out of more than 100,000 sent to voters.

Where and when to vote early

The 17 satellite locations are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Friday, Oct. 30, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. Sites include churches, libraries and community buildings across the county. A full list is available on the Sedgwick County election dashboard.

The deadline to request a mail-in ballot by email passed at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Satellite voting locations close after Saturday, Oct. 31. Advance in-person voting at the Election Office continues until noon Monday, Nov. 2.