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Local organizers in Dodge City fought to create more, more accessible polling stations, even before their only remote polling location drew the country's attention.
On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union sued county clerk, Debbie Cox.
In September, after the summer primary, Cox moved to the city's only polling station, in a building located south of the city, due to construction concerns on the old site. The new site is not accessible by sidewalks. The railroads separate it from most of the city.
In addition, the ACLU reported that Cox sent a flyer reminding voters on polling day that the wrong address was for the only polling station in the city.
But some residents of Dodge City claim that relying on a single polling place for all voters in a community of 27,000 people posed problems long before it was moved from the local civic center closer to home. downtown.
Johnny Dunlap, leader of the Ford County Democrats, recounted his father's trip to the city center in a recent election, signaling that the county needed more voting opportunities.
Dunlap's father, also known as Johnny Dunlap, has knee and hip pain since serving in Vietnam. Dunlap said his 70-year-old father had gone to the civic center and waited as long as he could. Frustrated, the veteran walked to the front, telling election officials that he had to fill his ballot immediately because his injuries prevented him from queuing up.
"If there had been more polling stations, the line would have been shorter and it would not have had to do it," said Dunlap. "And there are others who are less fit than him."
Cox, the county clerk, told the Dodge City Daily Globe that the Dodge City Civic Center had become in 2002 the only voting place in the city to better comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Dunlap and the ACLU dispute this assertion, noting that buildings in local school districts are accessible at the ADA and could be used as other polling places.
Alejandro Rangel-Lopez, founder of the Young Democrats at Dodge City High School and a plaintiff in the ACLU lawsuit, said local Democrats were looking for ways to get people to their offices. vote. He added that many people did not even know that the polling station had been moved, even though they were broadcasting information about free travel via radio and social media.
The ACLU also filed a temporary restraining order application to open an additional voting site in Dodge City.
But it was the recent move from the Civic Center's last location to the Western State Bank exhibition center, which put Dodge City's voting difficulties before a national audience. Democrats cite it as an example of Republican repression of voters. Some intervened to reinforce their images by sponsoring ballot maneuvers on polling day.
Kaitlyn Carl, communication manager of carpooling company Lyft, said the company was working with Voto Latino, a non-profit organization, to distribute discount codes to go to the polls free of charge on polling day. Voters in the country can also get half of their trips to their polling stations.
She declined to say how many Lyft pilots had in Dodge City, but said she was considering having rides available on November 6th. Carl stated that Lyft's free and discounted rides were reserved for polling day, not for advance polls.
On November 6th, Dodge City Public Transportation also offers free rides to the Western State Bank Exhibition Center. The center's website provides information in English and Spanish on planning these free trips. And a local union provides early voting methods.
The Dodge City Daily Globe announced that Ford County would extend the early voting hours effective October 30. In-person advance voting began October 18 at the Ford County Government Center. The polls are open from 9:00 to 16:30. On October 30 and November 1, these hours will be extended until 7 pm.
However, even early voting and polls do not always allow some Dodge City residents to vote in person.
Rangel-Lopez said that workers at the city's meat-packing plant had trouble getting to the polling station even when it was located in a more central location. He added that the workers of the first factory team worked from 6:00 to 14:30. It is therefore impossible to vote before work, when the polling stations are not yet open and after the children do not attend school and need to be cared for.
"My father personally waited at least an hour in each election to vote – when he was at the civic center," he said. "Many people can not make a quick trip, which lasts 15 to 30 minutes, waiting in line and voting. They must plan their day, they must make sure that they have someone to look after their children. "
At the same time, citizens across the country have expressed outrage at Dodge City's voting errors.
"To cry hot tears …," tweeted Rachel Maddow, an MSNBC host, responded to an Associated Press article that said voters were receiving wrong information about the polling place by mail.
Actor John Leguziamo tweeted about the only polling place and the large Latin American population of Dodge City, saying that "the repression of voters is in full swing this election."
The electoral situation made the front pages of Fortune, The Week, The Atlantic and other national publications.
KCUR's Andrea Tudhope contributed to the story.
Madeline Fox and Nomin Ujiyediin are reporters for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio, which covers health, education and politics. You can reach Madeline on Twitter @ maddycfox and Nomin to @NominUJ.
Kansas News Service reports and photos can be re-published free of charge with an appropriate attribution and link to ksnewsservice.org.
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