January 11, 2011 University Heights Election

Special election called by petition to fill vacancy on city council for term expiring December 31, 2011.

Candidates list Filing deadline Nov. 19, 2010, noon. Sample ballot (pdf)

Dates and Deadlines

• Monday, January 3: Last day to register to vote without additional requirements of Election Day registration, 5 p.m. Deadline postponed from Friday, Dec. 31 due to holiday.
• Friday, January 7: Deadline to request absentee ballot by mail, 5 p.m.
• Monday, January 10: Last day for in person voting at Auditor's Office, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Postmark deadline for mailed absentee ballots.
• Tuesday, January 11: Polls open at St. Andrew Church, 1300 Melrose Ave., 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mailed ballots could be delivered in person to our office on Election Day until the polls closed at 8 p.m..
• Tuesday, January 18: Provisional ballot board met at noon to consider provisional ballots and ballots received after Election Day with timely postmarks. There were no provisional voters on Election Day. Absentee ballots needed to be postmarked January 10 or earlier to be counted. Three ballots were received in the mail before the provisional ballot board met on January 18.  One of these was counted; the other two were postmarked January 11 and could not be counted.
• Tuesday, January 18: Canvass, 4 p.m.

Early Voting and Turnout Statistics

The turnout of 496 voters is a new University Heights city election record. The previous turnout record in 2009 was 414 voters.

As of 6 PM January 10, the city had 881 registered voters. An additional two voters used the election day registration procedure to vote at the polls on January 11.

Through the close of early voting at 6 PM January 10, 261 University Heights voters had requested early ballots, more than triple the final early vote total from the city's record turnout 2009 election. In 2009, 74 voters requested early ballots, and 70 ballots were returned and counted.

248 voted ballots were returned to our office through the close of the polls at 8 PM January 11, and all were accepted and counted. Three voters who had requested mailed ballots surrendered those ballots unvoted and voted at the polls instead. One additional ballot that arrived January 12 was counted, for a total of 249.

Seven ballots were not returned as of the canvass on January 18.

The highest percentage turnout special election of any type in Johnson County was the February 9, 1999 Swisher water utility election, with 70.16% turnout. 570 University Heights voters participated in the November 2, 2010 general election.