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Up To Date

Voting Begins | Election Lawsuits

Voters standing socially distanced outside of a red brick building with white pillars.
Scott Canon
/
Kansas News Service
Voters wait in the pre-dawn darkness at the Lenexa Baptist Church to cast their ballots in the 2020 general election.

Has record turnout for early balloting affected in-person voting, and Kansas and Missouri are involved in election lawsuits.

Segment 1, beginning at 1:14: Reporters describe what they're seeing at polling locations in Kansas and Missouri.

Across polling locations in Kansas City and the bi-state area, there were significant lines to start out the day with a "steady trickle of people" in the following hours, said Laura Ziegler, a reporter for KCUR. Locations such as the Fairgrounds in east Lawrence saw record numbers of advanced ballots.

Segment 2, beginning at 33:39: Election lawsuits in Kansas and Missouri are ongoing and will continue after Election Day.

A number of cases have gone to the Missouri Supreme Court already, most tied to absentee ballots and mail-in ballots. The states will likely see additional cases in the days ahead. Lauren Bonds with the ACLU of Kansas said the Republican Party is intervening more in voting rights lawsuits and challenging expansions to the right to vote.

  • Lauren Bonds, legal director at ACLU of Kansas
  • Beth Vonnahme, associate dean at UMKC, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and associate professor of political science

If you experienced difficulties in casting your vote you can contact the Election Protection Hotline at (866) 687-8683.

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 senior producer of Up To Date, I want our listeners to hear familiar and new voices that shine light on the issues and challenges facing the myriad communities KCUR serves, and to expose our audiences to the wonderful and the creative in the Kansas City area. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. Reach me at alexanderdk@kcur.org.
Whether it’s something happening right now or something that happened 100 years ago, some stories don’t fit in the short few minutes of a newscast. As a podcast producer at KCUR, I help investigate questions and local curiosities in a way that brings listeners along for adventures with plot twists and thought-provoking ideas. Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer in the end – but my hope is that we all leave with a greater understanding of the city we live in. Reach me at mackenzie@kcur.org.