A Wichita couple has written an open letter to Secretary of State Kris Kobach complaining that they were subjected to “degrading, humiliating, demeaning, and unnecessary drama” in casting their votes in Wichita’s District 1 City Council election. Eugene and Mamie Jewel Anderson didn’t get the mail ballots they requested, although they have lived at the same address for 49 years. They had to fill out forms and cast provisional votes when they showed up in person at an advance voting site. In their letter, the Andersons questioned whether where they live – a historically black area of Wichita – may have been part of the difficulties. “Well, we jumped through all of those hoops, and were allowed to cast our Provisional ballots,” the letter said. “However, we are deeply concerned! Will we experience the same degrading, humiliating, demeaning, and unnecessary drama when we request advance ballots for the non-partisan General Election? Or is there a deeper problem of residing in a specific zip code or something else?”
Kobach spokeswoman Samantha Poetter said the missing ballots were clearly a mistake on the part of the post office and that the election office followed proper protocol.
Brian Sperry, a spokesperson for the postal service, said that a “moved left no address” change of address was on file for a customer who shared the same address.
“Unfortunately, the mail for the current residents was also returned in an administrative error. The Postal Service has apologized to the customer and the election office and taken the appropriate steps to ensure all mail is delivered to the customer in the future,” Sperry said, noting that such incidents are isolated.
Full Article: Couple complains to Kobach of ‘degrading’ voting experience | The Wichita Eagle.