By Paul Thompson

Northeast News

Every branch of the Kansas City Public Library system, including the North-East Library at 6000 Wilson Road, will be registering voters today (September 26) as part of National Voter Registration Day.

The North-East Library will be open and registering voters until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 26. Vera Gutmann, a junior library technical assistant at the North-East Branch, indicated in the early afternoon on September 26 that foot traffic was relatively slow throughout the morning, and that anyone interested in getting registered is unlikely to encounter a long wait.

“Actually no one has signed up yet,” said Gutmann. “Some people have taken the forms home, so hopefully they’ll send them in.”

Any Missouri resident who is a U.S. citizen and will be 18 years old by November 7, 2017 is invited to a KCMO library branch to get registered. Kansas City, Missouri residents are being urged to stop by their local library branch to get a voter registration card – which can be filled out and returned via mail – or to work with a trained registrar to get registered to vote immediately, in person. Residents who have recently moved, legally changed their names, or completed a felony sentence can also be re-registered to vote at their library branch of choice.

The library system initiated a social media campaign urging residents to take advantage of the registration services on September 26, but representatives were also clear that KCMO residents can get registered – or update their voter registration – any time at Kansas City’s library branches. After September 26, though, interested residents are asked to call ahead before attempting to do so.

Those who wish to get registered are asked to bring proof of identification (Driver’s license, passport, military ID, current utility bill, etc.) with them. In addition to sending in a voter registration card or completing the process with a trained registrar, KCMO residents can also register to vote online by going to the Missouri Secretary of State’s website and clicking on the ‘Register to Vote’ tab. To learn more about the library’s voter registration efforts, go to kclibrary.org/voter-registration.