The Kansas City Election Board wants to inform voters that their polling location may have changed. Due to redistricting, new district lines have been created, causing more than 65 precincts to be re-assigned to new polling locations throughout Kansas City.

          All registered voters in Kansas City recently received their new voter ID card with their new polling location. An election notice card will also be sent out before each election to remind voters of their polling location for the upcoming election. KCEB is encouraging voters to check their polling location on the card to make sure they are heading to the correct location on Election Day. Voters can also visit the KCEB website and check their voter status, which will provide a map of their polling location.

          The Kansas City Election Board recently mailed new voter identification cards to all registered voters in Kansas City. Note: Voters should check their new voter ID card. If their old State Representative or State Senate district is listed, they may contact the Election Board office for their new districts.

          The cards are red, white and blue, and are perforated for easy folding. The card contains the voter's name and address, voter ID number, polling location, voting districts, ward and precinct number, and registration date. The new feature on the card is the QR code. Voters can easily scan the barcode, which links the voter to the new KCEB website, to check their voter status and to see if their polling location has changed.

          The Election Board is encouraging voters to always carry the cards in their wallets and to present them to election judges when voting. Voters will still have the option of using other approved forms of identification, such as a driver's license, government ID, college ID, etc., when asked to present identification at the polls.

          Voters will continue to receive the election notice cards two weeks prior to every election. Those cards remind voters of the date, time and poll location of upcoming elections, and most importantly whether there is a change in their polling location for that election.

          Many of you know the friendly face of Ted Growney as the Registration/Poll Supervisor at the Kansas City Election Board. Ted was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, the only child out of eight siblings to be born outside of Kansas City, Missouri. However, he did grow up in Kansas City and still resides here today. Ted grew up in a political household and was always surrounded by folks in politics. "Whether it was shaking Ronald Reagan's hand as a 'Schweik Tyke' at the 1976 Republican National Convention, surrounded by the mayor and other politicians at our home on election night or working on my dad's campaigns, it always seemed our family was involved with politics," said Ted. Ted graduated from Bishop Miege High School and then graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a bachelor's degree in Studio Art.

          Twenty-one years later, Ted is still at his first full-time job at the Kansas City Election Board. You can always find him staying busy, whether it is setting up multiple polling locations or training Deputy Registrars all across Kansas City. His main focus on Election Day is making sure all of the election workers can open up their polling location on time in the morning. "Elections excite me by the 'buzz' that it creates. As everyone knows, the bigger the election, the bigger the spotlight is on us. We all want to achieve the same goal, which is to run a flawless election," said Ted. He still looks forward to each Election Day to see what each one has in store for him. "I enjoy working for the Election Board for the satisfaction I feel when an election is completed," said Ted.

          One major project that Ted had to tackle this year was redistricting. Redistricting occurs when new district lines are drawn because of population shifts reflected in the census which occurs every 10 years. Ted's job was to take the new district lines provided by the various political entities and re-draw the new ward and precincts inside these districts. With a helpful hand from Tamara Chestnut, KCEB Data Services Supervisor, they replaced the old ward and precincts with the new ones in the Missouri Centralized Voter Registration database. In many cases, precincts were split and required extensive work before new maps could be generated. This whole process took months to complete. Ted worked hard and finished the project before the fast-paced election season began.

           Ted has served at the Election Board for many years. He always offers a helping hand whether it is to a voter coming into the office or an employee needing his help. "Always be friendly to others. You never know when you might need that friendly face to say 'hello' to you on a Monday morning when you need a lift-me-up," said Ted. KCEB is thankful to have a driven, dedicated worker like Ted as one of its team members!