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Up To Date

Kansas City Council Roundup | Voting & Elections Security

Luke X. Martin
/
KCUR 89.3
A 10% across-the-board budget cut could soon be coming to Kansas City, Missouri, largely a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Violent crime and the police, property tax cuts for developers, and a looming budget cut top the list of concerns for Kansas City Council members, and an in-depth look at if elections systems ensure safe and accurate voting.

Segment 1, beginning at 3:54: With City Council out of session, we review the business behind and ahead of them.

On an earlier Up To Date, Mayor Lucas talked about the prospect of 10% across-the-board budget cuts in the months to come. Today, City Council members say police and fire department budgets are likely to be included. "We are going to have to look everywhere," said Councilwoman Ryana Parks-Shaw, to make up the financial shortfall. Meanwhile, the city continues to wrestle with how tax abatements are used and unprecedented violent crime.

Segment 2, beginning at 35:05: Securing American elections and the systems to ensure your vote counts

President Trump has been talking a lot about the possibility of a fraudulent election, particularly if a lot of Americans vote by mail. We asked one political science professor, who’s teaching an elections security class, how safe our counts really are.

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
As culture editor, I oversee KCUR’s coverage of race, culture, the arts, food and sports. I work with reporters to make sure our stories reflect the fullest view of the place we call home, so listeners and readers feel primed to explore the places, projects and people who make up a vibrant Kansas City. Email me at luke@kcur.org.
Chris Young is an Assistant Producer for KCUR’s Up To Date. Contact him at chrisy@kcur.org.