Johnson County’s new voting policy: doubt, confusion and inconvenience | Opinion

Voter suppression takes many forms. Historically, tactics included poll taxes, intimidation and gerrymandering. Johnson County has unfortunately welcomed the next generation: doubt, confusion and inconvenience.

Johnson County Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt, hand-picked by and reporting to Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who is also a gubernatorial candidate this year, has written a new chapter in this most un-American practice.

First, sow doubt about mail-in ballots. With the Kansas Legislature eliminating the grace period for counting ballots, Commissioner Schmidt highly recommended voting early and in-person. Then, create confusion. Schmidt surreptitiously eliminated eight early voting locations, even though they were fully funded by the Johnson County Commission. Those eight sites accounted for more than 19% of all early voting in the last election. The majority of closed locations were in high-density, diverse communities. In her own words, Schmidt acknowledged that people are creatures of habit. So why create confusion that could cause voters to miss their opportunity?

Third, make participation as difficult as possible. A recent email from the Johnson County Election Office to poll workers revealed that workers must now commit to working all 14 days of the early voting period in 12-hour shifts, plus Election Day. That is 14 days of 12-hour shifts. Few Kansans have the time, energy or flexibility for that commitment. Willing, qualified workers are being turned away simply because they cannot clear their lives for two full weeks. When fewer workers are available, polling locations are understaffed, lines grow longer and fatigued workers are more prone to error. That is not a formula for free and fair elections.

These policies, taken together, do not reflect Kansas values or American values. They reflect a calculated effort to control who participates in our democracy.

I phoned the commissioner Wednesday to request a meeting. She replied that she is not accepting emails, but told me I can look on the election office website for more information.

Voters deserve better. Election workers deserve better. It is particularly disappointing that Commissioner Schmidt, who spent her career as a guardian of our right to vote, has chosen to upend that legacy by falling into a partisan, anti-democracy trap.

If you have to make it harder for people to vote in order to win, you are not really winning at all.

Mary Coffman is an officer for volunteer 501(c)(4) nonprofit Boots on the Ground Midwest and a voting right activist. She lives in Overland Park.