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Kansans are ready to take major steps in reforming our criminal legal system, and we’re here to help them do so.

The ACLU of Kansas recently conducted in-depth polling to understand Kansans’ beliefs, and they spoke out resoundingly for civil liberties, fairness, and meaningful justice.

Here were the major takeaways:

1.    Kansans have had enough of our harmful legal system.

Kansans know our criminal legal system is hurting our communities and resoundingly want reform, across partisan and demographic differences. . 

•    Nearly 7 out of 10 Kansans support bail reform. Specifically, they supported a reform that would allow most people who are arrested to return home the same day if they do not pose a flight risk and are not a threat to anyone else. These pre-trial release decisions would be based on individual circumstances – not just how much money someone has.
•    8 out of 10 Kansans support replacing juvenile court fines with alternative accountability measures. This reform would help prevent Kansans families from accumulating massive debt from the court system. 
•    Over half of Kansans support eliminating administrative fees for Kansas kids in the legal system, and with more information, that number grows to 63%.

2.    Kansans are ready for comprehensive marijuana policy reform

It’s no secret that Kansas has fallen well behind neighboring states on marijuana policy—and Kansans want to see that change.

8 of 10 Kansas voters support allowing doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to qualified patients.

Further, 7 of 10 Kansans support removing criminal penalties for marijuana possession.

Not only are Kansans ready for medical marijuana, they support further steps to heal some of the harm done by the War on Drugs, and wants to see Kansas be more in-step with many states’ policies.

3.    The only ones holding back Kansas are those in power.

Not only are these ideas massively popular, they’re popular across different demographics and party affiliations.

For example, the bail reform and juvenile fees reform mentioned earlier were supported by a majority of Democrats, a majority of Republicans, and a majority of Independents.

They’re also supported by a majority of every age group, including 73% of those 65 and older showing support for bail reform. And when broken down by gender or race we see the same pattern: a majority of every group supports these policies.

Given this broad support, we must remind our elected leaders that they work for the people of Kansas, and the people of Kansas support criminal legal reform. 

We’re working to make these reforms a reality in Kansas – and it’s past time to take action. Find out how you can work for a better legal system for you and your fellow Kansans here.
 

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• Read more about 3 major lessons about what Kansans believe in for Criminal Legal Reform—including Legalizing Marijuana

The organizing to expand access to voting in Kansas is well underway. Local election officials have the authority to maximize opportunities to protect the right to vote and maximize turnout – but many don’t. While Election Commissioners and County Clerks in each county in our state have the power to change policies to make it easier to vote, many depend on the county commission to provide the resources to implement these policies. That’s why we’re ready to make it clear to county commissioners across the state: it’s time to support election officials who want to remove barriers and improve access for all eligible voters throughout the voting process.

In Shawnee County, we’re calling for expanded early voting. Currently, Shawnee is the only large county in Kansas with only one early vote location. We’re demanding more. Contact the Shawnee County Commission today and express your support for expanding early voting.

In Sedgwick County, we’re calling for mailing advanced ballot applications to every registered voter. The county stopped proactively sending all voters application forms to request an advance mail ballot ahead of upcoming elections in 2022–this led to a significant drop in voting by mail. We’re demanding this be the baseline. Contact the Sedgwick County Commission today and express your support for mailing advanced ballot applications to every registered voter. 

In Johnson County, we’re calling on Election Commissioner Fred Sherman to support implementing a vote from jail program and expanded language access. Contact Commissioner Sherman and express your support for vote from jail and language access.

In Wyandotte County, we’re calling on Election Commissioner Michael Abbott to support expanding early vote opportunities and language access. Contact Commissioner Abbott and express your support for early vote and language access.

Civil Liberties Beehive Leaders across the state are mobilizing their communities, informing strategy, and leading these campaigns for voting rights. Join them by attending our upcoming New Beehive Leader Orientation on Tuesday, September 12 at 6 p.m. on Zoom.

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• Read more about Represent! How we're expanding access to vote in several Kansas counties

One year ago today, on August 2nd, democracy and reproductive freedom won in Kansas—and won big.

The results came in for a historic election on a proposed constitutional amendment that would have eliminated the right to an abortion in Kansas, with the measure losing 59 to 41 percent. Kansans rejected this extreme attempt to undermine our bodily autonomy. We voted no and chose reproductive freedom instead.

In the months prior, all eyes were on Kansas—it would be the first time in the country that Americans would have a chance to respond to the US Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade earlier that summer.

Kansas voters would have to overcome a lot:

• Lawmakers had placed the vote in the primary election, which usually excludes voters unaffiliated with a political party and consistently has lower turnout;
• There was not a presidential or other major national race on the ballot
• The language of the ballot proposal was also confusing, and at one point there were even misleading texts sent to voters about what a 'yes' vote would mean.

But a huge number of organizers, organizations, community groups, and people like you came together to keep voters informed and to urge them to show up to the polls.

Kansas voters turned out in record-breaking numbers to resoundingly VOTE NO on the amendment. It was a landslide victory demonstrating that as Kansans, we trusted each other to make the best decisions for ourselves and for our families—and that lawmakers needed to stay out of our deeply private and personal medical decisions.

By voting no, Kansans protected bodily autonomy, reproductive freedom, and the right to access an abortion during a chapter when those rights have been under attack more than ever, in Kansas and across the country.

August 2, 2022 showed us what's possible when community and democracy come together, and we want to remember that today. We know this fight isn't over, and that extremists will return again. But we also know that when we put the time in to make our voices heard and work together, we can pull off extraordinary things. Together we can build a state that better represents our values and helps us care for each other—and that's truly powerful.

Happy Vote No Victory Day, Kansas.

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• Read more about Looking back on August 2, 2022: what's possible when community and democracy come together