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Federal judge rejects arguments that Dodge City election system dilutes Latino vote • Kansas Reflector

A federal judge has ruled Dodge City’s five-decade-old election system does not unfairly suppress Latino voter choices and can remain in place, rejecting arguments from the American Civil Liberties Union and others.

July 12, 2024

The U.S. District Court case over Dodge City's method of electing city commissioners ended Wednesday with a federal judge ruling the system can stay in place. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

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Federal judge rejects arguments that Dodge City election system dilutes Latino vote
BY: RACHEL MIPRO - JULY 11, 2024 1:55 PM

The U.S. District Court trial challenging Dodge City's method of electing city commissioners began Monday with testimony from plaintiff Alejandro Rangel-Lopez, who asserted the at-large system unconstitutionally diluted the ability of Latino residents to be represented at City Hall. The suit says Latinos, who make up 65% of the city's population, hadn't been able to overcome barriers to elect a "candidate of choice" to the five-member commission in more than 20 years. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)
The U.S. District Court case over Dodge City's method of electing city commissioners ended Wednesday with a federal judge ruling the system can stay in place. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)
TOPEKA — A federal judge has ruled Dodge City’s five-decade-old election system does not unfairly suppress Latino voter choices and can remain in place, rejecting arguments from the American Civil Liberties Union and others.

The ACLU, ACLU of Kansas, UCLA Voting Rights Project and the Cleary Gottlieb law firm filed the lawsuit against Dodge City and the city commission in 2022, seeking to implement district-based elections for city commission.

The southwest Kansas city has used an “at-large” system to elect city commissioners since 1971. Instead of dividing the city into voting districts, commissioners are elected by voters all over the city — a structure the ACLU says unlawfully dilutes the voices of Latino voters and violates the U.S. constitution and federal election law.

U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren disagreed in a ruling issued Wednesday.

“The success rate for Latino-preferred candidates fails to indicate white bloc voting,” Melgren said in his ruling. “The Court cannot conclude white bloc voting prevents Latino-preferred candidates from being elected most of the time when Latino-preferred candidates win at least half the time.”

Three commission seats are on the ballot in every election cycle, and the length of the commissioner’s term depends on the number of votes garnered. Three candidates with the most votes are given seats. Of the top three, the candidate with the least amount of votes serves a two-year term, and the top two finishers serve four-year terms.

The ACLU pointed to shifting demographics to argue the current system ignores a growing Latino population, allowing non-Hispanic white residents to consolidate votes and elect white candidates. Dodge City, once known as a cattle town, is about 25 square miles, with a population of 27,788, according to U.S. Census data from 2022. The town’s meatpacking plant has helped attract more immigration to the area, with Latino workers making up around 70% of the plant’s workforce.

Statistics provided in the lawsuit show Dodge City had 6,468 white citizens of voting age in 2022, accounting for 44% of the total voting population. For the same year, 7,176 Latino citizens were of voting age, an estimated 49% of the voting population. But only 30% of voters in the 2022 general election were Latino, according to data in the lawsuit.

During the deliberation process, the court analyzed four commission elections from 2014 to 2021. The court found eight Latino-preferred candidates, five of whom were elected to office, marking a 62.5% success rate for these candidates. In other races, such as a school board election, the court found no evidence of legally significant white bloc voting, according to the judge’s ruling.

“These county-wide, state-wide, and nation-wide elections do not show that Latinos usually are prevented from electing candidates of their choice by the white citizens of Dodge City,” Melgren wrote.

In a joint statement on the ruling, the voting rights groups said they would continue to examine voting rights in Dodge City.

“We presented clear evidence of a Voting Rights Act violation in Dodge City, much of which the Court credited,” the statement read. “We are currently exploring next steps in this case and will continue to work for a truly representative democracy that ensures Latine voters can have their voices heard in Dodge City.”

Allison Kite contributed to this report.

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Rachel Mipro
RACHEL MIPRO
A graduate of Louisiana State University, Rachel Mipro has covered state government in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. She and her fellow team of journalists were 2022 Goldsmith Prize Semi-Finalists for their work featuring the rise of the KKK in northern Louisiana, following racially-motivated shootings in 1960. With her move to the Midwest, Rachel is now turning her focus toward issues within Kansas public policies.

Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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Federal judge rejects arguments that Dodge City election system dilutes Latino vote • Kansas Reflector

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