Amid legislative attacks on democracy, survey finds bipartisan support in Kansas for election policies increasing voter access

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 10, 2023

CONTACT: Esmie Tseng, Communications Director, [email protected]

OVERLAND PARK, KS – New research commissioned by the ACLU of Kansas shows broad support in Kansas across the political spectrum for policies that ensure access to vote.

Kansans believe democracy in the state is under attack – and will hold elected officials accountable to protecting their access to the ballot box.

The results of the survey come during a state legislative session marked by anti-democratic bills moving through both houses, including one banning the 3-day collection period for mail ballots and another restricting ballot boxes. These proposals are clearly out of step with the will of voters; as reflected in the survey, voters consistently call for more access to the ballot, not less.

The survey, conducted by the nationally renowned pollster Global Strategy Group for the ACLU of Kansas, sampled 600 registered Kansas voters from January 26 to January 31, 2023.

Regarding election policies, the poll found:

• 70% of Kansas voters strongly (51%) or somewhat (19%) agree that elected officials should focus on making it easier to vote in Kansas, not harder.
• While the most intense support comes from Democratic (76% strongly support, 16% somewhat support) and Independent (35& strongly support, 35% somewhat support) voters, 47% of Republican voters support expanding access to voting – with 21% strongly support and 26% somewhat support.
• 78% of voters support ensuring curbside voting at all polling locations, and 80% support increasing the number of polling locations across the state.
• Oversamplings of Black and Hispanic Kansas voters found strong and intense support for making voting more accessible and for expecting it to be a priority for elected officials.

“Kansans look out for each other, so it’s unsurprising that they want their neighbors to have their voices heard,” said Micah Kubic, Executive Director of the ACLU of Kansas. “Right now, it feels like our elected officials are falling short. State lawmakers and other officials need to give every Kansan a chance to improve their own lives by making voting more accessible, so we all have a voice.”

Even after receiving multiple arguments about voter fraud and election security, respondents remained supportive of expanding access to vote. Thus, while voters have concerns for election security, they also believe expanding access to the poll is either more important or not in conflict with those concerns.

The survey also showed that Kansans will vote out elected officials with the wrong stance on voting rights, an issue that transcends partisan boundaries. In Kansas, being on the wrong side of voting rights is a political liability.

A pdf presenting some key findings of the survey is available here.

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About the ACLU of Kansas: The ACLU of Kansas is the statewide affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU of Kansas is dedicated to preserving and advancing the civil rights and legal freedoms guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. For more information, visit our website at www.aclukansas.org.