To Johnson County Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt RE Removal of Advance Voting Locations

On Mary 22, 2026, we sent a letter to the Johnson County Election Office commending improvements to voter access and expressing our serious concerns regarding the closure of six advance voting locations.

On May 22, 2026, we sent a letter to the Johnson County Election Office commending improvements to voter access and expressing our serious concerns regarding the closure of six advance voting locations.

The ACLU of Kansas commends administrative improvements that will increase participation and accessibility throughout Johnson County, such as an increased number of secure drop boxes and placement at all public libraries and an increased uniformity of early voting dates and hours across locations, including the Monday before Election Day.

However, the Johnson County Election office reduced the number of early voting locations from 18 to 12 by removing eight and adding two new locations. We are deeply troubled by the removal of these advance voting locations—particularly those at the Oak Park Library, the Johnson County Community College Midwest Trust Center, the Central Resource Library, and the Olathe Downtown Library—and strongly recommend reopening all locations for the 2026 General Election. The removal of many of these locations will especially burden the county's low-income voters, voters of color, elderly voters, voters with disabilities, and communities with limited transportation access.

For many residents, especially those working multiple jobs, those who rely on public transportation, or those with care-giving responsibilities, the accessibility of advance voting locations is not merely a matter of convenience but a critical component of meaningful access to the ballot. The closure of multiple advance voting locations risks increasing travel times, creating longer lines at remaining sites, and erecting barriers that disproportionately burden communities already facing structural obstacles to participation.

The ACLU of Kansas strongly urges Johnson County Election Commissioner to proactively communicate to inform voters of the changes before the 2026 Primary Election and to reinstate all early voting locations for the 2026 General Election.

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2026 Leg Hub
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2026 Legislative Hub

The ACLU of Kansas is never busier than when the Legislature is in session. Whether independently or with our partners in diverse coalitions spanning across the state, we work to defend, protect, and expand civil liberties for all Kansans through the legislative process. Follow along here on our 2026 Legislative Hub, where we'll include weekly recaps, key bill summaries, toolkits, and more.
Legislation
Apr 24, 2026
rebrand oppose transparent
  • The First Amendment

Gut and Go: Allowing Discriminatory Practices in Collegiate Organizations

While the ACLU of Kansas appreciates legitimate efforts to protect freedom of speech and believes college campuses are public forums, other provisions in this bill undercut basic values of fairness and freedom of expression. By expanding existing loopholes, this bill will allow government-funded student organizations to exclude individuals from membership or leadership based on discriminatory criteria. This legislation would require public institutions to subsidize organizations, including ethnic supremacist political organizations, that actively exclude and discriminate against students based on political beliefs. Free speech must be protected, but taxpayers should not be compelled to support outright discrimination and exclusion under the guise of free speech.
Status: Governor's veto overridden
Position: Oppose
Legislation
Apr 24, 2026
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  • Criminal Legal Reform

Gut and Go: Eliminating Own Recognizance Bonds

This bill undermines judicial discretion and disproportionately harms low-income Kansans by mandating arrest and imposing stricter pretrial conditions based solely on charge level rather than individualized risk. These measures will only serve to increase incarceration rates and deepen systemic inequities. This bill significantly limits judicial discretion by prohibiting courts from issuing summonses in felony cases, regardless of individual circumstances. Removing this discretion undermines a core principle of our justice system: decisions should be based on individuals, not just the charges against them. For individuals living paycheck to paycheck, even short periods of pretrial detention can result in job loss, eviction, disruptions to childcare, and financial instability. Wealthier defendants are better positioned to absorb these mandated disruptions or post secured bond; poorer defendants are not.
Status: Won: bill did not pass
Position: Oppose
Legislation
Apr 24, 2026
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  • Voting Rights

Bundled Bill: Expanding Voter Purge Methods and Unsafe Data Sharing

This bill unnecessarily expands voter-purge mechanisms, relies on unreliable data sources, suppresses lawful civic engagement by non-governmental organizations, invites government misuse of personal information, and places unnecessary administrative burdens on state agencies. Database matching has a high error rate and has repeatedly resulted in eligible U.S. citizens being wrongly flagged or removed from the voter rolls. This bill does not address how data would be transferred or how this information would be protected. Compiling a list of already vulnerable residents poses serious threats to their safety. Furthermore, third-party voter registration has long played a crucial role in reaching young voters, first-time voters, rural Kansans, voters with limited internet access, and communities historically underrepresented in the electorate. Voter registration activity is not merely administrative—it is political speech protected by the First Amendment.
Status: Governor's veto overridden
Position: Oppose