News & Commentary

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.

According to Lauren Bonds, Legal Director of the ACLU of Kansas, the lawsuit does not pursue private information but instead seeks greater transparency in an effort to let people know if their vote was counted.

“Mass incarceration is a nationwide problem, but one that is rooted in the states and must be fixed by the states,” said Udi Ofer, director of the ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice.

“We aren’t asking to see who they voted for or any private information,” said Bonds, who grew up in Hutchinson. “That information should be afforded the utmost privacy. However, people should know whether their vote counted or if people faced any unnecessary barriers to voting."