Facing pandemic and civil unrest, wary Kansas City voters head to polls Tuesday
Kansas City-area voters headed to the the polls Tuesday for local elections, setting aside, at least for a few moments, concerns about the pandemic and civil unrest.
They offered mixed reviews for measures put in place to keep them safe from the spread of the novel coronavirus. Sandy Hubbard described her experience voting at the Whole Person in midtown as “very strange.”
Inside, clear vinyl screens separated voters from masked workers. Tape markings on the ground kept people six feet apart and hand sanitizer was available. Still, it was not a comfortable experience.
“I can’t say that I felt safe,” Hubbard said.
Lynnis Jameson, 74, who cast her ballot at the Tony Aguirre Community Center on the west side, said that despite wearing a mask she felt vulnerable.
“I certainly am nervous about it, but I don’t believe I touched a single thing except the middle of a paper that I saw her touch the two ends of,” Jameson said. “One poll worker didn’t seem to have her bottom (mask) strap attached, but it seemed to be well set up.”
Area election authorities have had to grapple with the consequences of pandemic fear: chief among them a major contraction in the number of polling places and election judges.
However, because of the anticipated low turnout, they believe they have cleared most hurdles.
Most Kansas City voters will have one issue before them: whether to approve a one-fourth cent sales tax increase to buy equipment and renovate fire department facilities. In the suburbs, voters will decide on school board and city council races, as well as other tax levies for improvement projects.
Attitudes about the risks of voting in-person varied.
Matthew Merryman, who arrived without a mask or gloves at Westport Roanoke Community Center, said he researched the number of COVID-19 cases in Kansas City and didn’t think he was at risk. Voting didn’t take more than a few minutes and tables were spaced out enough that he didn’t come into contact with anyone else, he added.
“I wasn’t concerned,” Merryman said. “I understand their concerns, but it’s important” to vote.
Election authorities have recommended voters wear masks not only to protect themselves, but poll workers.
Leon Nelson, who has volunteered at polls for about 10 years, said he normally chats with the voters in line. This year, he and other workers at Brush Creek Community Center, on the city’s east side, took outside for something to do.
“It’s just a lot slower,” Nelson, 55, of Midtown, said. “It’s not the normal.”
Election authorities say they are expecting between 5% and 10% turnout, possibly even lower because the contest was moved from April to June because of safety concerns.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Kansas City Election Board had experienced hiccups, but nothing that would impede the voter’s experience, according co-director Laurie Ealom.
Calls have come into the board about changed polling locations. Because of polling places opting out for safety or liability reasons, Kansas City has just 28 locations Tuesday, instead of its typical 115. Plus, election authorities had to find locations big enough that voters can spread out.
So far, none of the lines of voters have bottlenecked, she said.
“It’s going good, considering all the changes that we’ve made,” Ealom said. “Voters are very upset about having to go somewhere else other than their normal, typical poll location.”
Officials said curbside voting would be available to all comers, but some of the details may not have been worked out.
Roxanne Troxell, an election judge at the Whole Person, said it will usually take someone getting out of the vehicle and notifying poll workers of their intentions. Then, two election judges from different parties will come outside with a ballot and eventually feed it into the vote counter together.
“I guess you could call the election board directly, because they could call us and let us know you know that we’re here,” Troxell said. “But other than that, I don’t know how they’d be able to get to us because we’re not really patrolling the front of the building.
With the heat, Ealom said she couldn’t ask volunteer election judges, many of whom are elderly, to wait outside of polling locations for possible curbside voters. She encouraged voters to call the Election Board to set up an appointment to vote curbside.
One man at who did not give his name said he was relieved to see there were no protesters outside the polls. At least 20 more people were arrested Monday during the fourth day of demonstrations protesting the death of George Floyd.
Nyrobi Collins, 46, said the protections put in place at polling centers made her feel safe coming out. At Brush Creek Community Center, she said she always votes but felt it’s even more necessary now as she watches protesters across the country cry out against police brutality.
The process took her only a few minutes and there were no other voters in line, she said.
“An election like this would normally be light,” she said, “but I’ve never been the only one in there.”
Jarvis Morrison, who cast a ballot at Troost Elementary, called voting “the only thing that gets change.”
“Protesting just makes people look at you. Nothing ever happens until you actually vote,” he said.
Several voters voiced frustration that they didn’t have any choice but to show up at polling location to cast a ballot. Missouri does not have “no-excuse” absentee voting.
Diane Reeves, 76, of South Kansas City, said she thinks more options should be available to allow Missourians to use absentee ballots if they feel unsafe. Voting at Brush Creek Community Center, she said doesn’t go out much but thought voting was at least as essential as a trip to the grocery store.
“Whatever they can do, they should help people vote,” she said. “That’s ridiculous some people can’t get out to vote.”
Jameson also voiced her frustration that voters had no other choice but to show up in-person to cast ballots.
“I am appalled at all the efforts that seem to be aimed at keeping people from voting when there are other options,” Jameson said. “There could have been absentee voting that would have allowed you to mail in a ballot.
“But I feel that democracy requires a vote, and I won’t be intimidated, so I will come.”
This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 2:13 PM.
