***MEDIA ADVISORY***
TUESDAY, Oct. 8: Mayor Garner, Wyandotte County Officials to Call for Secretary of State to Provide Language Access for Voters
Press conference comes after 18 months of minimal progress by the Wyandotte County Election Office, despite robust community support
CONTACT:
Esmie Tseng, Communications Director, ACLU of Kansas, [email protected], 913-484-6270
WHAT:
Wyandotte County elected officials, including Mayor Tyrone Garner, will head a press conference announcing support for a county commission resolution calling on Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Wyandotte County Election Commissioner Michael Abbott to provide voting materials in Spanish for Wyandotte County voters.
Local residents will then present a petition with over 1,000 signatures calling on Secretary Schwab and Commissioner Abbott to take action, followed by statements from representatives from multiple organizations supporting the issue. Abbott, who is responsible for administering elections in Wyandotte County, is directly appointed and supervised by the Secretary of State.
This conference follows 18 months of minimal progress by Commissioner Abbott and the Secretary of State’s Office, despite constant appeals from Wyandotte residents and local organizations, who, following multiple meeting requests and correspondence, sent a joint letter in August 2023 and an additional follow up in March 2024 restating the coalition’s requested actions.
Wyandotte County is not currently obligated under federal law, specifically Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act, to make election materials available in languages other than English. However, federal law is the policy floor on this issue, not the ceiling—with many jurisdictions around the country offering language access when they are not required to do so. Amidst the robust community support for this issue election officials in Wyandotte County, one of the most diverse counties in the nation, should be proactively working to improve voter access by expanding language assistance through quality translated materials and bilingual workers.
This advisory is available online here.
WHO:
Statements by:
- Mayor Tyrone Garner
- UG Commissioner Melissa Bynum
- Erica Andrade, President and CEO, El Centro, Inc.
- Karla Juarez, Executive Director, Advocates for Immigrants’ Rights and Reconciliation
- Tom Alonzo, President, Equality Kansas
- Micah Kubic, Executive Director, ACLU of Kansas
WHEN:
This press conference will be Tuesday, October 8 at 10 a.m.
WHERE:
Wyandotte County Courthouse: 710 N 7th St Trfy #210, Kansas City, KS 66101
East side, facing 7th St Trfy and the UG Building (under construction)
Please do not impede traffic lanes or access into the courthouse building.
# # #
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.
