News & Commentary

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas issued a report noting wide discrepancies in how Kansas counties manage elections. 

The cost of defending election laws enacted in 2021 has now surpassed $1 million as the litigation winds its way through the federal and state court system.

What the report found is that no counties utilize the entire early voting period allowed by Kansas law; most counties offer very little flexibility in the hours when voting is available; and only 22 counties offer multiple early voting locations.

A new report from the American Civil Liberties Union finds that accessibility to voting in the Sunflower State depends on where you live. The ACLU of Kansas says there are several key factors that expand accessibility for voters.

A new report from the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas examines the effect county election officials can have on voter turnout and urges them to adopt policies that support democracy.

In the ACLU’s “All Democracy is (Still) Local” study, the organization finds that voters across Kansas have “wildly varied access to democracy across the state.”

“Kansas voters know what their needs are, and we’re at a new moment for this work in the state, with several critical organizations uniting to ensure Kansans can hold their elected officials accountable to honor the fundamental right to vote,” said Leslie Butsch, field director at the ACLU of Kansas.

The ACLU of Kansas recently released a poll that found 70% of Kansans want elected officials to focus on making it easier to vote, not harder. That included almost half — 47% — of Republicans. Allowing curbside voting at polling locations and increasing the number of polling locations in Kansas.

Republican Secretary of State Ron Thorburgh launched the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck; Kobach expanded the program. Kansas suspended the program in 2019 as part of a settlement with the ACLU of Kansas, which had sued on behalf of voters whose partial Social Security numbers were exposed.