News & Commentary

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.

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.”

“The district court’s ruling is a win for democracy and transparency,” Bonds said. “Voting rights advocates now have the information they need to ensure election integrity and help provisional voters make sure their ballots count.”

Crosscheck was promoted as a data sharing tool for states to maintain their voter registration rolls. However, the program has faced both lawsuits and extensive criticism for leading to the potential disenfranchisement of eligible voters and exposing voters’ privacy.

Mediation involving ACLU lawyers and the attorney general’s office Jan. 25 also led to dismissal of Kobach’s appeal of the contempt ruling. It didn’t alter status of the state’s appeal of Robinson’s underlying election law decision, which found Kansas’ proof-of-citizenship statute unconstitutional.