voting

Kansas Voter Tracking System Championed By Former SOS Kris Kobach Is ‘Dead’

By • 3 hours ago
Becky McCray / flickr Creative Commons

The Interstate Crosscheck system, a controversial voter registration tracking program championed by former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, was labeled effectively “dead” after a legal agreement was announced Tuesday.  

Johnson County's Top Election Official Abruptly Resigns

By • Dec 5, 2019

Johnson County's top election official, Ronnie Metsker, is resigning just over a year after former Secretary of State Kris Kobach appointed him to a new four-year term. 

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab announced the resignation in a statement, but did not say why Metsker is stepping down. All requests for comment from Metsker were directed to the secretary of state's office.

Kansas Welcomes 175 New U.S. Citizens

By • Dec 3, 2019
Mya Acosta / KMUW

Two naturalization ceremonies held today at Century II welcomed and recognized 175 new U.S. citizens who will be living in Kansas.

The new citizens came to the United States from more than 30 different countries.

Early Voting Numbers Up In Wichita Elections

By • Oct 30, 2019
LaRissa Lawrie / KMUW/File photo

With days to go before Election Day, early voter turnout numbers in Wichita are already up over the last mayoral election amid a highly contested race.

Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Tabitha Lehman says last week’s early voting at the county election office in downtown Wichita surpassed the total number of early votes cast in the 2015 city election.

Kobach Sanctioned For Misconduct In Voting Rights Case, But Not Found 'Dishonest'

By & • Oct 28, 2019

TOPEKA, Kansas — Former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach agreed to legal sanctions to resolve a disciplinary complaint about his conduct in a voting rights case he lost last year.

As part of the resulting diversion agreement made public Monday, Kobach admitted that he did not properly supervise lawyers and others on his staff while contesting a lawsuit that challenged how he carried out a new voter ID law.

Gen Z's Voter Turnout In 2018 Topped Past Kansas Youth, But 2020 Isn't A Given

By • Oct 28, 2019

TOPEKA, Kansas — The road to democracy is paved in donuts.

At least that’s the case if you dropped by Washburn University’s Memorial Union for lunch on a recent afternoon, followed the “free donuts” sign and blaring rock music down to the lower level, where there were not just boxes of glazed temptation, but smiling faces holding out electronic tablets.

Deadline To Vote In The November Election Is Approaching

By • Oct 11, 2019
LaRissa Lawrie / KMUW

The deadline to register to vote for the November election is Tuesday.

Carole Neal is the Voter Service chair with the League of Women Voters of Kansas, a nonprofit that encourages people to participate in government. She says people seem more aware of this election, which is reflected in more people registering to vote.

Neal said people realize their voice needs to be heard.

“We’ve really tried to educate ... them how one vote can make a difference, especially in a local election,” she said.

Sedgwick County In The Market For Election Workers

By • Oct 7, 2019
Carla Eckels / KMUW

The Sedgwick County Election Office is recruiting workers for the November election.

Workers are paid for mandatory training, and for working at Early Voting Centers and on Election Day.

Cross-trained clerks, runners and provisional ballot judges are paid $7.50 an hour. Supervising judges are paid $10 an hour; supervising judges and runners are also paid mileage.

Melissa Schnieders is the deputy election commissioner for Sedgwick County. She said between 600 and 700 workers help with mayoral and school district elections.

Voting Advocates Ask For Election Day Voter Registration In Kansas

By • Feb 19, 2019
Stephen Koranda / Kansas Public Radio

Kansas would do away with the current voter registration deadlines under a bill in the Legislature.

Dodge City's Polling Place Was Moved To The Edge Of Town, Then The Debate Moved To D.C.

By Corinne Boyer • Feb 15, 2019

A few days before the November midterm election, Alejandro Rangel-Lopez turned 18.

But before he cast that first ballot, local election officials moved Dodge City’s only polling location from the relatively convenient center town to its outskirts.

The move caused confusion, drew national criticism and raised questions about voting access governed by white elected officials in a town where nearly two-thirds of the population is Latino.

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