News & Commentary

Law experts and community activists question dispatch policy, law enforcement response

Michael McCloud spent 27 years in prison for several 1990-era armed robberies. At roughly $70 a day, that’s approximately $689,850 Kansas taxpayers shelled out punishing him.

A record-setting number of Kansans went to the polls in last week’s election. But more than 21,000 residents were unable to join them.

TOPEKA — The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas wants the Ellis County clerk to provide direction directly to voters who received misprinted ballots.

From the Wichita Eagle: https://www.kansas.com/article245723115.html

In a letter addressed to Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez, the civil rights group highlighted concerns with officers’ handling of a peaceful protest on July 24. The ACLU was acting in support of local organizers who objected to the police tactics.

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab must release the names of people who cast provisional ballots in the 2018 general election, including whether their votes were counted, a Kansas judge ruled, handing a victory to a group that wants to expand voting rights.

The top election official in Kansas violated the state’s open records law by refusing to release the names of people who cast provisional ballots or say whether their votes were counted, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.

A civil rights group has launched “The Clemency Project” to try to secure the release of Kansas prisoners whose medical conditions make them vulnerable to the coronavirus.