Erica Andrade, president and CEO of El Centro, said time had come for the Wyandotte County election commissioner to match the interests of a diverse population by creating ballots and other election materials in Spanish as well as English. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A coalition of politicians and organizations Tuesday campaigned to convince the Wyandotte County election commissioner to print ballots and other local election materials in Spanish to better serve one of the most diverse counties in the state.
The activists said they sought for the past 18 months to interest Wyandotte County Election Commissioner Michael Abbott in voluntarily expanding Spanish-language access with translated election resources. During a news conference, Mayor Tyrone Garner requested that Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who appointed Abbott, use his influence to convince Wyandotte County of the value in improving language access. More than 1,000 county residents signed a petition urging action by Schwab and Abbott.
Garner said some politicians were consumed with talk about alleged voter fraud, but attention needed to be concentrated on actions of public officials that disenfranchised voters. He drew a parallel to historical challenges in the United States that kept women and Blacks from freely voting.
“I wouldn’t be standing here today as your mayor without the hard-fought battles of blood, sweat and tears that went into making sure that all people had the right to vote,” Garner said. “It matters because, if we come out and do it right, the way that our founders intended, it has a direct impact on outcomes in the communities that we serve.”
He said a resolution would be presented to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, that would recommend the Kansas secretary of state help persuade Abbott to broaden the range of Spanish language materials.
Wyandotte County has more than 50,000 residents who speak a primary language other than English. Thirty percent of the county’s population is comprised of Hispanic or Latino residents.
Under federal law, Wyandotte County isn’t obligated to make election materials available in languages other than English. However, the county could voluntarily upgrade services for Spanish speakers.
Abbott, who was appointed Wyandotte County election commissioner by Schwab in 2021, said he wouldn’t answer reporters’ questions about language barriers to participation in elections.
“I’m referring all calls to the secretary of state,” Abbott said.
Schwab responded by pointing to Section 203 of the U.S. Voting Rights Act, which mandated voting materials, ballots and interpreters in another language if more than 5% of a county’s voting-age population had limited English proficiency. He said Finney, Ford, Grant, Haskell, Stevens and Seward counties met that standard, but not Wyandotte.
“We believe in following federal laws and guidelines,” Schwab said.
The coalition represented at the news conference said state and local election officials should include quality translations of voter registration forms and ballots. Election officials ought to employ more bilingual election workers, they said. The group said locally produced online and written election materials in Wyandotte County should be available in Spanish. All voters should be informed of their right to receive language assistance at the polls from an individual of their choice, the coalition said.
Jaly Castillo, a Wyandotte County resident, said appeals to Abbott had yet to yield results that demonstrated a commitment to voting equity.
“We live in a country with many freedoms,” she said through an interpreter. “But, how does this work if we cannot understand one another through language in English? Especially for residents that want to exercise the right to vote.”
Karla Juarez, executive director of Advocates for Immigrants’ Rights and Reconciliation, said one of the most important responsibilities of citizens was threatened by public officials unwilling to open doors to citizens struggling to comprehend complex ballot questions written in English.
She said naturalized citizens were required to speak basic English, but language on constitutional questions, bond issues and other reforms required a more sophisticated knowledge of English.
“I’m here to ask, let’s get our ballot language and our election materials in Spanish first and then we work together to get it in other languages,” Juarez said.
Micah Kubic, executive director of ACLU of Kansas, said democracy was strongest when every eligible citizen was allowed to participate in elections.
“For months, for months, for months, we and the 1,000 people who signed this petition you saw unfurled before, have been asking for basic election materials in Spanish. It is the most common-sense idea imaginable,” Kubic said. “Yet, after more than a year of respectful pleas to election commissioner Michael Abbott, his office still provides almost nothing in Spanish.”
He said the language barrier was one reason Wyandotte County had low voter turnout. The problem persisted despite the secretary of state’s inclusion of Spanish-language content on the state’s website.
“That is commendable, but it also makes it all the more puzzling and distressing and galling that the election administrator that he appoints here in Wyandotte County has not followed his example,” Kubic said.
Melissa Bynum, a commissioner in the joint Kansas City, Kansas, and Wyandotte County government, said naturalized citizens devoted years to obtaining rights and privileges of U.S. citizens.
“It’s critically important for people to be able to access the ballot,” Bynum said. “It’s one of the most important things you can do as a citizen.”
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