This week, an article published on Daily Kos — and those who supported it — made a big difference in bringing to light issues surrounding voter registration and rights within a state. When I first published the story that Spanish-language voter guides in Kansas were incorrect and different than their English counterparts, we kick-started a new discussion as to the role of a Secretary of State and the purpose of an office aimed at helping people vote.
While we still aren’t there — the Spanish language version on the Secretary of State website is STILL incorrect as of this morning, as it does not list passports as an acceptable form of ID (despite being acknowledged by the state it is in error), the Secretary of State’s office has been forced to apologize and to commit to making changes that extend services to all Kansans.
McCullah said discrepancies in registration deadlines were corrected in the online version of the guide in the past 24 hours and the rest of the text is being sent to a professional translating service to eliminate mismatches between the English and Spanish versions.
The problem went public in a post on the Daily Kos website by Democratic consultant Chris Reeves of Overland Park. Reeves said a native Spanish speaker alerted him to the errors when he stopped by Garden City to check in with local Democrats while on a trip to western Kansas.
Now, the state has multiple news sources, from The Wichita Eagle, Kansas City Star, and others asking the state to find a way to provide better service to their constituents.