2024 Highlights

As we look back at 2024, we’re celebrating the local and statewide victories we’ve accomplished in the sunflower state. This year, we focused on three issue campaigns—expanding voting rights to make elections safe and available to all eligible Kansans, reforming our broken criminal legal system, and fighting for a more inclusive Kansas for LGBTQ+ constituents. Here are just some of the highlights:

Voting Rights:

In 2024, we were able to secure 30 additional voting locations in Sedgwick County.

For years we have also been advocating for increased Spanish-language access at the polls. And in October, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City unanimously voted to pass a resolution supporting Spanish-language election materials for voters starting in 2025.

The work to advance voting rights in Kansas would not be possible without our Beehive Team. This year, Beehive Leaders and ACLU Kansas staff made over 33,000 calls and sent over 44,000 texts informing previously incarcerated Kansans of their eligibility to vote. Our Beehive team members and Election Protection staff members worked tirelessly throughout the weeks leading up to our primary and general elections to respond to the concerns regarding our elections.

Criminal Legal Reform:

In 2021, ACLU Kansas and Kansas Appleseed sued the City of Wichita for constitutional violations regarding the Wichita Police Department’s “gang list”. The list particularly targeted young Black and Latino residents and would include them in the gang database simply based on where they lived, the clothes they wore and funerals they attended. In April of 2024, we finally settled the case and ensured the removal of at least 3,500 residents from the gang list, established new criteria to include people, ensured oversight and that everyone now has the ability to find out their gang status and challenge it.

In 2022, ACLU Kansas and NPAP filed a class action lawsuit (Glendening et. al v. Howard et. al) against the Kansas Department of Disability and Aging Services (KDADS) on behalf of those being held pretrial while on the waitlist for an evaluation or treatment bed at Larned State Hospital. In November of this year, we finally settled. KDADS committed to reopen 30 closed treatment beds at Larned State Hospital by January 2025, while addressing the understaffing and underfunding that contributed to the facility running at a limited capacity.

LGBTQ+:

We intervened in Kansas v. Harper, in which Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach weaponized SB180, a law that passed in 2023 rigidly defining one’s “sex” as based upon the gender assigned at birth and defined “male” and “female” based on one's reproductive capacity.

We joined a coalition of organizations, allies, medical providers, educators, and Kansas families to help defeat SB 233 in the 2024 session.

In 2024, we secured 30 new voting locations, made over 73,000 connections with previously incarcerated eligible voters, ensured favorable settlements in 2 lawsuits affecting thousands of Kansans, reopened 30 treatment beds, and defeated SB233.

The work for a freer, safer, and more accessible Kansas does not stop here. Learn how you can join our efforts to make Kansas even greater next year by visiting our 2025 Legislative Session Resource Hub.