Johnson County Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt is planning for presidential-level turnout in a midterm year, driven by a U.S. Senate race that the Cook Political Report rates a toss-up.

"We're projecting for our planning purposes presidential type turnout because of the national media attention that's in the U.S. Senate race," Schmidt told Fox 4.

Early in-person voting begins Saturday, Oct. 17, at 9 a.m. across 12 Johnson County locations and runs through noon Monday, Nov. 2. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The Johnson County Election Office will begin mailing advance ballots Wednesday, Oct. 14, according to the Johnson County Post.

Three of the 12 early voting sites are in Overland Park: the Arts and Heritage Center at 8788 Metcalf Ave., the Hilltop Conference Center Blue Valley at 7700 W. 143rd St. and the Overland Park Arboretum Longhouse at 9209 W. 179th St. A Mission location is open at the Johnson County Northeast Offices, 6000 Lamar Ave. The full list is available at the Johnson County Election Office website.

Schmidt walked KCTV5 through the election office warehouse in Olathe, where binders lined tables for each of the county's 141 Election Day polling places. A metal cage marked "restricted access," secured with a pass-key lock, now protects ballot-marking devices and tabulators.

The cage and lock were added this year to comply with new state election security standards. A grant from the Kansas Secretary of State's Office paid for the upgrades, Schmidt said.

Schmidt said the cage could also serve as a recount staging area. If a recount is needed, the county plans to bring in 250 to 300 poll workers to count ballots behind the locked enclosure.

The last countywide recount in Johnson County was in 2022, when voters rejected a constitutional amendment on abortion restrictions by 18 percentage points. More than two-thirds of Johnson County voters opposed the measure.

Turnout in Johnson and Sedgwick counties, the state’s two largest population centers, will be especially important. The tight Senate contest between Republican incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall and Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton, a Methodist pastor, has drawn national attention. KMBC reported that the Cook Political Report moved the race to toss-up status. It has been 94 years since a Democrat won a U.S. Senate race in Kansas.

President Donald Trump announced Monday, Oct. 12, that he plans to hold a rally in Kansas to support Marshall. Marshall launched a six-day bus tour Monday with more than 20 planned stops across the state.

Tuesday, Oct. 13, is the registration deadline. In-person registration at the Johnson County Election Office closes at 5 p.m.; online registration remains available until midnight. Mailed applications must be postmarked by Oct. 13.

Schmidt encouraged residents who submitted duplicate registrations not to worry. She said there is no downside to sending in a new card and that a fresh submission puts a new signature on file.

All 12 advance voting locations are open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Oct. 31, with a final session 8 a.m. to noon on Nov. 2.