Legislation

On November 20, 2025, the ACLU of Kansas submitted written testimony support of the subsection titled “Fair and Transparent Civic Processes” on the proposed 2026 Legislative Platform, specifically the inclusion of “expanded language access” and encouraged the Board of County Commissioners to mention specific steps that can be taken to give this phrase meaning. Supporting the expansion of language access is about making it easier for eligible citizens to fulfill their patriotic duty and fully participate in our elections. It is important to define what it looks like in practice to provide additional voting materials in Spanish: translated registration forms and instructions, polling place information, materials about Johnson County elections and the right to receive language assistance at the polls, or even ballots and sample ballots.

The ACLU of Kansas submitted opponent testimony in response to a proposal in front of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County’s Standing Committee on Administration and Human Services that sought to suspend and repeal equity policies and undermine prosecutorial oversight of discriminatory practices. The ACLU of Kansas strongly opposed the proposal, brought by the Unified Government's assistant counsel and placed on the agenda by Mayor Tyrone Garner. Despite no direct threats to federal funding for the Unified Government, counsel advocated for the suspension of ordinances, resolutions, regulations, policies, practices, and customs deemed noncompliant with Executive Orders signed early in the second Trump administration, and the repeal of ordinances related to discrimination and equitable hiring practices. By bending the knee to the Trump administration and catering to the administration’s interpretation of federal law, the Unified Government risked larger legal issues for ignoring existing obligations under civil rights law. The proposal was denied on a 5-0 vote on Monday, October 27.