Early voters face hours-long wait at Lee Summit for second day in a row

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. (KCTV) – Early voters in Jackson County faced wait times lasting up to 3.5 hours Saturday in Lee’s Summit at the Ranger Rec. Building.

It was the second day in a row of long wait times at the location. Jackson County Board of Elections Director Tammy Brown says Jackson County is voting like never before.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in all my years,” Brown said Saturday. “Presidential or not, I’ve never seen this kind of turnout.”

With some wait times lasting more than three hours, people needed something to do. Many struck up conversations and left with new friends.

“It’s been a long wait, but it didn’t seem that bad,” David Collins said. “We’ve been talking, time has passed and everyone seems to be good people here.”

“We’ve met some wonderful, very entertaining people,” said Tracy Trussell, a first-time voter. “They let us go to the bathroom, they let us go eat a muffin. So yeah, it’s been wonderful.”

Despite the long waits, voters told KCTV5 it was important to them to stay and do their civic duty.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” Amy Schenk said. “This is the choice of my life. “Two very different candidates, two very different ideas.”

“I think what we’re doing is historic and I’m glad to be a part of it,” Collins said.

The Jackson County Board of Elections told KCTV5 that the county’s voter turnout record is close to 80% and that the county could surpass that record this year. A first-time voter said she wanted to make her voice heard in this election.

“I used to think my vote didn’t count,” Trussell said. “It didn’t matter if I voted. I’m just a person. But if enough ‘one of us’ does it, it becomes a movement.”

Jackson County Board of Elections officials said the long wait times were due to staffing shortages. They had about 100 people voting per hour at the Lee’s Summit site.

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