by Nomin Ujiyediin, Kansas News Service
A federal judge has ruled that Ford County, Kansas, does not have to provide a second polling place in Dodge City on Election Day.
In a ruling late Thursday, U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree denied a request for a temporary restraining order filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in late October on behalf of a Dodge City resident and a Latino community organization.
The complaint argued that by closing the city’s only polling place and moving it to the edge of town, Ford County Clerk Deborah Cox infringed on the constitutionally protected voting rights of Dodge City’s Latino voters.
In his written decision, Crabtree said opening the original polling place would not be in the public interest, considering possible confusion caused by reassigning voters to another location so soon before the election.
Crabtree also said the ACLU did not provide sufficient evidence that having a single polling location placed an undue burden on the residents of the city.
“They have had 20 years to present that claim,” Crabtree wrote. Dodge City has had only one polling place for 27,000 residents since 1998.
The judge cited Ford County testimony that described multiple notices of the new polling place, and the free transportation Dodge City will provide to the polling place on Election Day.
In a court hearing on Thursday, the ACLU amended its request in the temporary restraining order, asking the judge to either force Ford County to reopen the original polling location in addition to the new location, or instead of the new location.
The ACLU said on Monday it did not plan to appeal the results of the restraining order, but would continue the lawsuit after Election Day.
Nomin Ujiyediin is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. You can reach her on Twitter @NominUJ.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.
See more, including an earlier story on this, at http://www.kcur.org/post/judge-its-too-late-open-second-polling-place-dodge-city.