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Bonds said she was optimistic about the people appointed to the commission, and its potential to change the state’s criminal justice system on many levels, including probation, diversion, mental health and prisons.

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.

Last year, the polling location was changed to the community room at the Kansas City, Kansas South Patrol police station. Some voters in the district expressed their concern that casting their votes at a police station was intimidating to some voters and kept others from turning out to vote.

“It’s the fact that this is a government entity organization and they’ve created a space that’s explicitly for the public to give feedback to public officials... Any time when you’re closing a public forum or limiting speech within a public forum, there’s going to be implications there," Bonds said.

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.

The ACLU said Kobach’s reckless maintenance of the system makes him personally liable, as well as the state of Kansas.

“It’s one thing for community members to use the app, but it’s concerning when the government does,” said ACLU of Kansas Legal Director Lauren Bonds. “From a policy perspective, it could be a real problem.”