Johnson County's top election official resigns abruptly, saying he was forced out

County election chief Fred Sherman, announced his resignation Thursday saying he had been forced out by Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab.

Sherman, election commissioner for Johnson County since 2021, posted on X, “I was given the option to resign or be terminated from the position, and I elected to resign.”

His post included a copy of the letter from Schwab’s office, thanking him for his service. “I appreciate his commitment to elections that are safe, secure and transparent,” Schwab’s statement read.

Sherman’s resignation went into effect immediately. The secretary of state went on to say that work will begin shortly to search for a replacement.

Schwab did not give a reason for the decision to change the county’s top election leadership. But Sherman said Thursday morning that it amounted to a difference on an election policy issue that he did not want to disclose.

The issue had to do with an election procedure the county has been using since before Sherman took office, he said. After some conversations about it that started at the beginning of December, he said it became apparent that he and Schwab were not going to agree.

“I didn’t want to script it to end this sway,” Sherman said. “Obviously it’s not a joyful moment. But I recognize a little bit of the politics of the situation and I respect and I acknowledge their perspective on particular issues as well. I’m not saying I’m right or wrong. I acknowledge their position.”

Sherman was a deputy election security commissioner when he was appointed in 2021 by Schwab to take over the office from Connie Schmidt, who was herself appointed in 2020 to replace Ronnie Metsker. Metsker resigned in 2019.

Sherman’s office weathered COVID and conspiracy theories

Sherman shepherded the election office through the upheaval of the pandemic years and the ensuing election conspiracy theories.

During the years that followed the 2020 election, former Sheriff Calvin Hayden often cast doubt on the county’s election process, saying his suspicions justified a long-running investigation. However, that investigation yielded only one referred charge, which District Attorney Steve Howe said was not strong enough to prosecute.

Hayden also faulted the county and Schwab’s office for going forward with the shredding of old ballots, as required by law. He had asked that the ballots be preserved for investigation, but failed to produce a valid search warrant signed by a judge.

Sherman said those events were unrelated to his resignation, but offered no more information on what the policy disagreement was about.

In Kansas counties of over 125,000, the top election overseer is appointed by the Secretary of State for a four-year term. Sherman and Schmidt filled out Metsker’s unexpired term.

Sherman’s term would have been up next September, but he said that practically speaking, the election commissioner can be replaced at the pleasure of the Secretary of State.

According to Kansas law, when a vacancy occurs, the Secretary of State consults with the chair of the county commission to form a search committee. The committee is made up of the county commission chair or designee, a representative from the county human resources department and three representatives from the Secretary of State’s office.

An applicant must be at least a two-year resident of Kansas and must be living in Johnson County by the time of the swearing in.

Although his LinkedIn lists plenty of government experience, Sherman said he has no immediate plans to seek out another government job. His wife, Susan Sherman, was appointed this week to become the first female city manager of Olathe.

“Given my wife’s position, maybe it’s good that I take a little more of a backseat approach in my work life and support her endeavors,” he said.

Before becoming county election commissioner, he was chief administrative officer at the city clerk’s office in Westwood, and Community Development Director for the city of Gardner for eight years. He also served in various planning positions in Overland Park, Miami County, Lawrence and Olathe.

This story was originally published by the Johnson County Post.