News & Commentary

TOPEKA — A Kansas elementary school principal who invited an evangelical Christian missionary to pass out Bibles to students during their recess in May violated the First Amendment, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas warned Monday in a letter to the district.

“I also think that in general there is a heavy potential here for discrimination against protected classes or demographics,” ACLU of Kansas Staff Attorney Kunyu Ching said. “I think it’s common knowledge these sorts of algorithms can produce bias, including racial bias.

The ACLU of Kansas has a hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE to help voters who report issues or have questions.

“Kansans have had enough of politicians’ misinformation or misrepresentation of their positions,” Kubic said. “When given truthful, reliable, and accurate sources focused on issues of civil liberties and civil rights, voters prioritize those issues even amidst the noise of the campaign season.”

The Kansas Legislature’s bipartisan auditing committee voted to issue a subpoena to compel the Ford County clerk to cooperate with the state’s security examination of voting-related documentation and equipment used in the 2022 general election.In 2018, the ACLU of Kansas filed a suit against Cox.

The ACLU of Kansas will provide a statewide voter assistance hotline for the 2024 primary and general elections, staffed by lawyers and on-site poll monitors to help voters with any issues or concerns. The hotline offers assistance in English, Spanish, Arabic, and more languages.

“It’s an opportunity for people to tell their own stories, explain to the court their experiences of being on the gang list and how deeply it’s affected them,” said Kunyu Ching, staff attorney at Kansas ACLU.

After three years, Progeny v. City of Wichita, a lawsuit regarding the Wichita Police Department’s use of a gang list, is awaiting approval. If approved, some names that were incorrectly on the gang list will be removed, and the criteria for the database will change.

The ballot box is a powerful tool: it amplifies our voices, holds the powerful accountable, and induces change in our society. Every person legally able to vote should be able to cast a ballot. That’s why a change is necessary in Hays.