Thousands of advance ballots have hit mailboxes across Kansas with the 2012 presidential election less than three weeks away.
Both Republicans and Democrats know voter turnout will be crucial in determining not only who wins the White House, but many races at the local and state levels as well.
That's why the parties make a concerted effort to find out where those advance ballots are going and make sure they get turned in.
"Advance voting has become the norm. It's what over 60% of the people are going to do for this election," said Kelly Arnold of the Kansas Republican Party.
It's a concept called "ballot chasing". It may sound a bit sinister, but it's a legal practice. In the coming days, voters who've received mail-in ballots may be also be getting phone calls or front door visits from Republican or Democratic party volunteers encouraging them to stamp and return their ballots. The volunteers may even offer to collect the ballot and turn it in for you.
"The ballot chase will get more real on Halloween. We'll do things like going trick-or-treating for ballots," said Kaelyn Seymour of the Kansas Democratic Party.
Campaign volunteers are pouring over detailed lists from the elections office that show who has received a ballot and who hasn't yet mailed theirs back.
Both parties say ballot chasing has become increasingly important because of the growing number of people requesting advance ballots. In Sedgwick County, 68,000 advance ballots have already been mailed out in the past three days. That figure represents about 25-percent of registered voters.
