‘She was spectacular’: Kansas woman in labor votes in Shawnee County

A Shawnee County woman earned her “I voted” sticker after showing up at the election office while she was in labor. In fact, she earned a "Future Voter" sticker for her baby, an election official said. (Photo by Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

TOPEKA — A woman sat down just inside the door Monday at the Shawnee County Election Office in an area reserved for those needing assistance. 

She was determined to vote even though she was in labor, so a poll worker with emergency medical training brought her a ballot and stood by in case she needed help, said Jake Fisher, assistant election commissioner. 

“The voter was not overly concerned because she said this was not her first pregnancy,” he said. “The first one was not quick. I think she believed that this second pregnancy would also take quite a bit of time, but it seemed to be progressing quicker than she had anticipated.” 

In fact, the woman’s contractions were about five minutes apart as she filled in the ballot, Fisher said. 

“She had already called a family member, and they were on their way to pick her up,” he said.

The woman said she had volunteered as an election worker in the office before and would have been working this election if it weren’t for her pregnancy, Fisher said. 

“You see all kinds of things, but that was a first,” he said. “We were just very happy to help her out.”

When the woman finished voting, she gave Fisher and another worker permission to take the ballot through the office and put it in the tabulator, he said. 

Fisher gave her an “I voted” sticker and a “Future Voter” sticker, which she placed on her shirt over her stomach. 

The incident brought Fisher and other poll workers a lot of joy, he said, adding, “She was spectacular. She was very adamant. She goes, ‘I came here to vote, and I am going to cast my ballot.’”