The city of Roeland Park is the first in Johnson County to support language access for Kansas voters.
Last week, the Roeland Park City Council unanimously approved a resolution — backed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas — supporting the expansion of language access for voting materials in Kansas.
The resolution specifically calls for Spanish-language ballots, sample ballots and information materials to be available at in-person polling places for the 2025 election. It also calls for materials and online content to be made available in Spanish.
Mayor Michael Poppa said it is a “no-brainer” for the governing body to support the resolution “to urge the Kansas Secretary of State and Johnson County Election Office to work together to expand language access in the county.”
“There’s a real need to expand language access because the more people, the more informed participation that we have in our elections, the better the outcome and the more equitable democracy is,” Poppa said on Sept. 2.
Language access can benefit thousands in JoCo, ACLU says
Micah Kubic, the executive director of the ACLU of Kansas, told the city council on Sept. 2 that thousands of voters in Johnson County can benefit from Spanish language voting materials and information.
In Roeland Park alone, Kubic said, 2020 U.S. Census data shows that at least 700 residents speak a primary language other than English, predominantly Spanish. A majority of these 700 residents are also citizens who are of voting age, he said.
“All of this means that the need for language access in voting for these thousands of citizens in Johnson County is common sense,” Kubic said.
“Such an obvious proposition that most people are shocked to learn that it does not already exist in the Johnson County Election Office, but it does not,” Kubic added.
The city council unanimously approved the resolution with no discussion.
The full resolution can be read online here.
Election officials check in voters at Olathe Indian Creek Library in August 2024. File photo credit Kylie Graham.
JoCo election commissioner wants all voters to know their rights
Johnson County Election Commissioner Fred Sherman told the Post on Monday that the county itself does not currently meet federal requirements to offer all election materials in certain languages, including Spanish.
While six counties in Kansas meet that requirement to provide all election materials in Spanish, Sherman said, the proposal backed by the ACLU of Kansas fails to meet federal “all materials” standards.
Sherman said the proposal to provide ballots in only one non-English language “would create inequities by singling out one language group over the many others represented in our diverse community.”
Still, Sherman said it is important to support and empower voters with limited English proficiency, largely through them knowing their rights.
Federal and state laws currently guarantee all voters a trusted companion, such as a friend or family member, to help them at each step of the voting process, Sherman said. This is a “legally sound approach that serves all language groups equally,” he said.
“Community-based assistance, supported by education and outreach, can empower far more voters than a narrow Spanish-only ballot initiative ever could,” Sherman said.
“A vehicle to encourage” statewide and county support
Kubic told the city council that the resolution simply affirms the city’s values on voting rights and an informed electorate.
The resolution is also a way to show the Kansas Secretary of State and Sherman that local leaders support voting language access, Kubic said. The Secretary of State’s office has expressed interest in prioritizing local leader concerns, he added.
“We, therefore, ask you to support this resolution as a vehicle to encourage the Secretary of State and the election commissioner to side with inclusion, with access to the ballot and with democracy,” Kubic said.
Across county lines, the Unified Government of Kansas City, Kansas, and Wyandotte County approved a similar resolution last November.
This issue appears to be coming in front of other Johnson County communities, too, as the city of Prairie Village’s diversity committee planned to discuss “improved language access for voters” at its Tuesday meeting.