I'm The Mayor Of Kansas City, And I Know Firsthand That We Need To Prioritize Voter Access

By Mayor Quinton Lucas


My mom didn’t vote for the opening time up until the 2000 presidential election — as soon as, as a teenager, I pressed her to cast her first ballot. She was 40 years old. She was also an individual mother to my older sisters and me, relied on public transit to get to and from work day-to-day, and even with two jobs, couldn’t routinely make rent.


She informed me she’d never voted because she didn’t think it mattered, because she’d seen election soon after election, and politician immediately after politician, come and go without feeling any substantial improvement had been made for families like ours.


Early yesterday morning, I arrived at my polling place to vote — the same place I’ve voted for the past 11 years, including a number of times for myself. Right after handing the poll worker my required form of identification, I was told that they “could not locate me in the system,” thus, I might not submit my ballot.


Luckily, this ended up being a minor, resolvable error. Within minutes, our local Election Board called to inform me that that someone had inadvertently entered my name incorrectly in the system. I don’t begrudge the poll worker for creating a minor mistake — frankly, I’m tremendously grateful to all who woke up early and stayed late yesterday to volunteer at the polls. We need to continue encouraging public engagement like this.


Still, this experience underlined a significant problem in America’s election system, which extends much in back of rectifiable human error. So much of the partisan and inflammatory national discourse surrounding our election systems neglects to acknowledge the barriers that impact good, hardworking Residents of the United States who simply wish to physical activity their right to participate in our democratic elections.


to prepare build a fairer and more available election infrastructure, we must look to the following:


Automatic voter registration. 16 states and the District of Columbia have implemented automatic voter registration. This policy permits states to automatically register individuals to vote each time they interact with a state firm, like a DMV, unless they affirmatively reject to have their data updated. It also has been shown to decrease the likelihood of registration error, which reduces waiting times at polls and makes it far less likely that what happened yesterday happens to others in the future. Plus it saves taxpayers cash, since it permits states to synthesize voter registration systems with other identification systems like driver licenses and ID issuance, saving cash on unnecessary paperwork, mailings and other updates.


Same day voter registration. While automatic voter registration would make sure that almost all people will have the ability to register, there will constantly be individuals who might not directly be registered because they have but to interact with a government business — as an example, young people who might not have a driver’s license or who have not otherwise interacted with the state. In Missouri, potential voters are necessary to register to vote almost a month before a upcoming election. Several folks who hope to vote might not realize an election is coming until the deadline, and so they shouldn’t be penalized for that. Missouri is one of 29 states that does not let for same day voter registration, which, in turn, has been shown to reduce turnout by up to 14 percent, as compared to states that do.


Early voting. Missouri is one of only 10 states that does not permit some form of early voting, which enables individuals to either mail in ballots or stop at dedicated polling locations in advance of election day. This assists the decrease long polling lines by spreading voting out over numerous days and provides more flexibility for those with rigid schedules — including hourly workers, parents, those without driver’s licenses or who need assistance getting to the polls, and more. It also would help folks caught in situations like I noticed myself in yesterday: If all voters had the alternative to vote early, it would give them time to resolve any issues and come back to the polls another day to cast their ballots.


Enfranchisement of all voters. 11 states currently ban convicted felons from voting, and Missouri is one of 22 states that ban those convicted of a crime from voting up until immediately after they have completed probation or parole. A major challenge we face in Kansas City, and in several communities across the nation, is helping individuals successfully transition out of incarceration. Restricting these individuals from voting sends a harmful, discouraging message: That society will never welcome them back and they’ll never have the chance to redeem themselves, even immediately after they’ve served their time. This is personalized for me — I’ve volunteered in prisons since I was a law student because I believe that each person has the chance to be a meaningful advocate to our communities. Our failures as a society to help people transition leads directly to cycles of crime, poverty, and violence in several of our cities, and is something I face each day as mayor.


We’ll continue advocating to our state and federal officials to develop policies that can assist make it easier for Kansas Citians and all Residents of the United States vote. On the municipal level, we’ll continue urging all residents to prepare their voices heard at the polls.


Voting does matter. Last year, Kansas Citians went to the polls and voted in a new mayor — me — as well as a new slate of City Council members. The decision our voters made is why we’re able to make all public buses fare-free in Kansas City. It’s why we’re able to pardon misdemeanor pot convictions in Kansas City. And it’s why we’re able to make sure that renters don’t have to reside in filth and with mold in Kansas City.


I hope our work, which prioritizes the very issues that would’ve helped families like mine as soon as we relied on public transit and experienced bouts of homelessness, encourages all — especially young moms like mine as soon as she first voted 20 years prior — to show up and make their voices heard.


As I returned to my polling place yesterday afternoon to cast my ballot (successfully, this time!), I thought back to the events that had transpired earlier that morning. Not so much what happened indoors in the polling station, however what happened after.


On my way out of my polling station the opening time I attempted to vote, I accidentally bumped into a woman on her way in to vote.


It was my mom — at the polls, before sunrise.


Quinton Lucas, 35, is the 55th mayor of Kansas City and the youngest Kansas City mayor in more than 100 years. Follow him on Twitter: @QuintonLucasKC