News & Commentary

The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform sent letters seeking communications related to the decision by Ford County, Kansas, to move the only Dodge City polling site outside of city limits for the 2018 midterm elections.

“If a police station or police department isn’t collecting this information, there is no way to track if they do have problems and if there are people complaining,” said Lauren Bonds, the interim Executive Director and Legal Director of the Kansas ACLU.

The settlement has been signed by School Board President Brad Stratton and the students’ representatives. But it must be finalized by a judge before the district or the ACLU will comment on the terms.

"It's particularly concerning given the fact that there was no reason to escalate the situation in the first place," Bonds said. "A number of federal circuits have found that flipping off a police officer is protected speech. Asking to see their supervisor shouldn't result in you getting shot."

The ACLU of Kansas said in a news release that it was a case of “moving while black” and that the organization asked Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt to investigate the matter or refer the group’s complaint to the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training.

The ACLU of Kansas announced in a press release Tuesday that it had reached a settlement agreement with the district. But because the plaintiffs in the case are minors, the settlement is not final until is it approved by a judge.

“We hope future election officials will invest this money in making it easier to vote rather than defending decisions that disenfranchise their constituents,” said Lauren Bonds, interim executive director for the ACLU of Kansas.

After attempting to meet with Cox several times about opening additional polling places, the American Civil Liberties Union Kansas filed a lawsuit before the election on behalf of the League of United Latin American Citizens and Rangel-Lopez.

A Dodge City high school student who carried a torch amid voting access uproar last fall says election officials undermine democracy and warrant proposed federal guidance.