Diane Norcross Thompson, Johnson County Clerk

04/29/2026

Today I along with members of the Johnson County Elections team had the opportunity to demonstrate the Election Systems and Software (ES&S) tabulation machine for MO legislators at the Capitol. We joined Elkins-Swyers (Springfield) and Adkins Printing (Clinton), representing three of the four vendors that provide election equipment for the 116 election jurisdictions in MO. We shared the checks and balances that go into each election, had great questions and the chance to talk about legislation that impacts the voting process.

04/15/2026

On Monday, April 13, the Johnson County Verification Board convened to certify the results of the April 7 election.

As part of Missouri’s election integrity process, a manual recount is required for at least 5% of precincts, selected through a random drawing. Johnson County has 20 precincts across 10 polling locations, meaning a minimum of one precinct must be manually counted. Because our reporting is by polling location, that often results in more than one precinct being included.

For this election, the randomly selected location was the Elks Lodge—our second largest polling site, serving more than 4,600 registered voters. The races reviewed there included the Southeast Sewer District one-year unexpired term and the countywide SB 3 question.

In addition, the verification team voluntarily:
✔ Recounted the City of Holden Ward 4 Council Member race (which resulted in a tie), and
✔ Conducted a full manual recount of the SB 3 question across all polling locations, including absentee ballots, to ensure complete confidence in the results.

Final outcomes:
• Southeast Sewer District race — no change
• Holden Ward 4 Council Member — tie confirmed
• SB 3 question — 1,794 YES to 1,821 NO (the NO vote was reduced by 2 votes by the manual recount team)

This election is a strong reminder: in low-turnout elections, every vote truly matters. Close results—and even ties—are common when only a small percentage of voters participate.

If you have questions or want to learn more about how elections are conducted, we encourage you to get involved. You can:
• Serve as a poll worker
• Join equipment testing teams
• Attend public tests or verification board meetings
• Reach out directly with questions

Missouri’s election process includes multiple layers of checks and balances—from electronic tabulation on election night to post-election testing and manual verification. Every step is designed to ensure elections are fair, accurate, transparent, and secure.

We’re always happy to answer questions and provide more information.

04/09/2026

✔️ How are election results made official?
Join us as the bipartisan verification board reviews and certifies the results:
📍 301 W Market St., Room 110
📅 Monday, April 13 | ⏰ 8:30 AM
This process ensures accuracy, security, and transparency—and it’s open to the public.

04/09/2026

One of the tasks on Election Day is to resolve the absentee ballots received by mail. A bipartisan team assembles at the courthouse (or Reese School) to review the ballot envelopes for signatures and notaries, separate the ballots from their respective envelopes and process them for counting.

For this April election, we were honored to have a Resolution Team comprised of all women! Thanks to this fantastic group of ladies for your participation in the election process! 💪

04/08/2026

🗳️ Curious what happens after Election Day?
We test the equipment again to confirm everything counted accurately.
📍 301 W Market St., Room 110
📅 Thursday, April 9 | ⏰ 8:30 AM
👀 Open to the public—feel free to stop in and observe!

04/07/2026

Low voter turnout makes for a very long day for our Election Workers. Whether we have a 10% turnout or a 70% turnout, they still go through all the checks and balances to ensure that your vote counts!
They keep our elections secure, fair, transparent and accurate!

Be sure to thank your poll worker today and every election!

04/07/2026

📊 Want to follow election results?
Head to: www.JoCoCourthouse.com
➡️ Click “Election Results”
We’ll begin posting updates on election night as results come in.
Official results will be finalized after certification on April 13.

04/06/2026

⏰ Last Chance Alert!
Today (Monday, April 6) is the final day to vote absentee before Election Day!
📍 301 W Market St., Warrensburg
🕔 We’re open until 5:00 PM
Stop by before the deadline—we’re here to help!

04/03/2026

How are voter rolls maintained in Missouri? "Great question, I would love to tell you..." (said in my best Elyse Myers voice)

Voter rolls are maintained at the local level by your county clerk or election board (also known as your local election authority). LEAs work daily to update voter registration records - adding new voters, updating address changes or name changes, moving voters into inactive status because a piece of mail we sent them was returned, and deleting voters that have passed away, been convicted of a felony or been adjudged incapacitated by the courts. We monitor obituaries, receive reports from the Dept of Health and Senior Services, the Dept. of Corrections and the Circuit Clerk. We also receive electronically transmitted voter registration applications from the local DMV for any registrations they have processed.

Additionally, LEAs do what is called a "canvass of voters". The canvass is required to be done every two years (115.179 RSMo), although many jurisdictions do an ongoing canvass, sending mailings out more frequently. In Johnson County, we do comparisons of our voter registration addresses against USPS mailing address list (National Confirmation of Address) quarterly. If the voter has a different address on file with the postal service, we will mail a letter to the USPS address asking them if they want to update their voter registration address or, if the USPS address is outside our county, asking them if they need to be deleted from our voter rolls. Voter records cannot be updated or changed without written notice from the voter.

A registered voter's name is not removed from the voter rolls on the grounds that their address has changed, unless:
1) The voter confirms in writing that they have moved out of our county or
2) The voter fails to respond and has not voted in any election for two general elections. (115.193 RSMo).

While we are constantly updating the voter rolls as new information is provided to us and verified by the voter, we don't do "mass deletions" of voters. We also don't delete voters from the rolls simply for not voting. Voters have the right to participate in any election they choose, or no election. What will trigger action by the local election authorities, is if there is an indication that a voter no longer resides at the address on their voter record.

Happy Friday!

Send a message to learn more

04/03/2026

🎉 Fun Fact Friday!
Did you know? Electioneering isn’t allowed inside a polling place—or within 25 feet of the entrance.
That means no campaign shirts, buttons, signs, or materials supporting or opposing candidates or issues.
🗳️ This helps keep polling places neutral and comfortable for everyone!