News & Commentary

In the second, October 16 letter, the ACLU of Kansas strongly urges Ms. Cox take the following steps to remedy the polling location concerns of Ford County and especially Dodge City.

ACLU of Kansas this month relayed concerns it has heard about polling places in Dodge City to Ford County Clerk Debbie Cox.

Kansas ACLU Field Director Ellen Glover advocated for Kansas to allow voters to register on election day. She said states that have already adopted this policy have seen an average 11 percent increase in voter turnout. Glover also supported expanding early voting.

The ACLU of Kansas said Tuesday it is concerned about voters’ rights in Dodge City because of the location of the city’s lone, temporary polling place, but the office of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach contends no problem exists.

This is what happens when democracy is left in the hands of those who don’t care about their neighbor’s rights.

"Issues regarding voting, issues regarding criminal justice reform, that's what we're focusing on,” McCormick said. “We think those are so important and we also think that these are issues that would resonate with voters."

The officer’s actions were consistent with stop and frisk procedures, said Lauren Bonds, the legal director for ACLU of Kansas.

On October 3, 2018, the ACLU of Kansas wrote a letter to Ford County Clerk Debbie Cox addressing both historical polling place concerns and immediate concerns related to the relocation of a single, heavily burdened Dodge City polling site. 

The candidates talk about education, taxation, and industry, but not about the horrifically expanding prison system that likely would scuttle advances in each of these areas.