Your Guide to Voting Nov 4, 2025
By Peggy Bair
Voters in Leavenworth County will have a chance to make some important decisions this fall about a variety of local elected positions.
Voter participation has been relatively low in local elections. For instance, according to the Leavenworth County Clerk’s office, in the 2023 local election, only 19% of registered voters cast ballots. The 2024 presidential election was 64%.
“Those were low numbers, below average, the past two years,” said Leavenworth County Clerk Fran Keppler. “Even with the 64% in the national election. It was a presidential election so you would normally see a bigger percentage.”
Residents 18 and over can register to vote. Signing up is simple. The last day to register to vote in this election cycle is October 14. There are multiple places to register. Voters need to update their registration if they are registering for the first time, if they have moved or if they have had a name change.
Registration locations include the County Clerk’s office at the courthouse, the city clerks’ offices and local libraries. A list of places to register on the County Clerk’s website.
“They need a government issued ID or the last four of their social (security number),” Keppler said. “We prefer both, but that’s it.”
Once registered, there are several ways to cast a ballot. Early and advanced voting begins October 15. All the information about registration and how to vote is available on the www.leavenworthcounty.gov website. Click on “government” then “County Clerk’s Office” then “elections.” The site also has a full list of candidates who are running for elected office this election cycle.
Voters can also take advantage of advanced voting starting October 15, absentee voting and voting my mail. The instructions for voting in these manners can be found at the County Clerk’s website link. (click hyperlink) Voters who vote by mail should act in advance to make sure their is enough time for their ballot to be received by the County Clerk’s office by November 7.
On election day, registered voters can cast ballots at the County Clerk’s office or their local precinct if they have not already voted in advance or by mail. At the precinct or Courthouse, registered voters only need to show a government issued picture ID where the photo and name must match.
“We scan it in our system and as long as their face and name match, they’re good to go,” Dressler said.
At stake in this local election cycle, are many open seats and candidates vying for the positions on city commission, city council and school boards.
Voters have a few weeks to familiarize themselves with the candidates before casting their votes.
Much is at stake this election. Unlike the Leavenworth County Commission or Leavenworth County Sheriff offices, the city commission and school board positions, are non-partisan bodies. Therefore, there are no primaries.
In Leavenworth, there are six candidates running for three open seats for the five-member Leavenworth City Commission. Holly Pittman and Nancy Bauder are still serving out their terms as Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem, respectively. But Edd Hingula, Jermaine Wilson and Griff Martin are not running for re-election, which created three open seats in this election cycle.
Among the functions of the city commission is to establish policies and allocate resources for the city’s operating budget. The commission is the city’s policy-making body. The commission appoints the city manager, who oversees the daily management and manages city staff.
Lansing is electing city council members to represent each of four wards. Two candidates are running for Basehor mayor. Four candidates are running for three open seats on the Tonganoxie city council.
There are six candidates running to fill three seats on the USD 453 school board. There are seven candidates who have registered to run for USD 469. Tonganoxie has four candidates running to fill three seats in USD 458.
Choices for the positions will be available to voters in accordance with their address that corresponds to their precinct in the county. For example, Lansing residents will vote for USD 469 school board positions and Lansing City Council. Leavenworth residents will vote for USD 453 and Leavenworth city commission.
Many public candidate forums have been held over the past month, including League of Women Voters, United Kansas and The Leavenworth-Lansing Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber filmed their candidate forums and has posted videos of these on YouTube. These feature candidates running for Leavenworth City Commission, Lansing City Council and school board positions in Leavenworth USD 453 and Lansing USD 469. Their Candidate Forum Series of events held at the Leavenworth Public Library and Lansing Community Center include candidate introductions followed by Q&A by the moderator. The videos can be viewed on YouTube @LVCOCHAMBER “Candidate Forum Series” and by clicking on the hyperlinks above.