FEATURED STORY
How Kansas City residents are supporting Asian-owned businesses and ‘Stop Asian Hate’
The vigil outside Vietnamese coffee shop Cafe Cà Phê was in response to the recent shooting in Atlanta, where a gunman targeted Asian-owned businesses and killed eight people, including six Asian women.
At Kansas City budget hearing, residents call for increased funding for housing services and unhoused residents
A majority of comments focused on increased funding for housing services, with specific demands to fund the Office of Tenant Advocate, a city agency borne out of the Tenant Bill of Rights that was passed by the City Council in December 2019.
How a local coalition is trying to improve internet access in Kansas City
The coalition operates with the vision that every resident in the Kansas City area should have access to an internet connection, devices to use the internet and the digital skills to take advantage of all the internet has to offer.
Complete census counts in Kansas, Missouri marred by COVID-19 and changing deadlines
For six days a week throughout August and September, Cindy Hoedel went door-to-door across mostly rural Kansas counties — sometimes covering over 200 miles in a day — to find out how many people lived in a given address on April 1. But as a Census worker, Hoedel’s biggest challenge wasn’t in the rural areas […]
After days of waiting, Kansas City residents react to Joe Biden’s projected win over Donald Trump
After a grueling campaign season, marred by a pandemic and made even more stressful by days spent waiting for votes to be counted in several battleground states, Kansas City voters who spoke with The Beacon said they felt a variety of emotions.
In their words: Kansas City voters on the unprecedented 2020 Election
On Nov. 3, thousands of registered voters in Kansas and Missouri turned out to polling places to cast their ballot for crucial races, from the presidency to local races and statewide ballot initiatives. Even COVID-19 could not deter many voters from making sure their voice was heard — in Kansas City, Missouri, COVID-positive voters experienced […]
COVID-positive voters in Kansas City face hours-long wait times on Election Day
Despite relatively short waits at most polling locations across the Kansas City metro, COVID-positive voters in Kansas City, Missouri — who were encouraged to use curbside voting at Union Station — are waiting hours to cast their ballots. Cedric Schofield and his wife originally planned to wake up at 6:30 a.m. this morning to vote […]
Live Coverage: Election Day 2020
After a long and tumultuous election season, shaped by an unprecedented pandemic and mass protests against racism and police violence, Election Day is finally here. Millions have already cast their vote for president and other statewide and local races, and more are expected to turn up at the polls today to vote in person. Today, […]
Election Day: Everything you need to know
With Election Day just one day away, we know voters still have qusetions about the voting process and how they can make sure their vote will count. On Friday, Oct. 30, The Beacon’s Celisa Calacal was joined by four local voting experts to answer common questions about voting in Missouri and Kansas.
Disenchanted by the major parties, young Kansas voters are more likely to register as independents
Through an analysis of Kansas voter registration data, The Beacon found that unaffiliated voters in Kansas, also known as independents, make up 38% of voters under the age of 40 — the largest portion of any party within that age range.
Transportation can be a barrier for some Kansas City voters. Here’s how to get to the polls.
Before the June election this year, the Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners decided to change the locations and reduce the number of in-person polling places. The goal? To have enough election judges available and include larger polling sites for more social distancing.
Safe at home? Missouri law fails to safeguard some abuse survivors who register to vote
The Safe at Home program — especially for registered voters — lacks a basic safeguard provided in many other states, including Kansas: Complete exclusion from public voter data. Furthermore, if a person registered to vote before enrolling in Missouri’s program, their information isn’t scrubbed once they do.
Is a ‘blue wave’ coming for Kansas? Here’s what the data says
In Kansas, the share of registered Democrats grew from about 25% in January 2017 to 27% of registered voters by September 2020, or about 62,000 voters, The Beacon found. In that same period, the Republican share of the electorate remained at about 45%.
‘It’s either this or nothing’: For people with disabilities in Kansas City, voting isn’t always accessible
When Darla Wilkerson went to absentee vote in person for the upcoming election, she noticed a large sign on the floor in the doorway reminding everyone to socially distance and wear their masks. But the sign was difficult for voters with disabilities, like limited vision, to maneuver around, impeding the accessibility of the polling site. […]
For trans and nonbinary voters, photo ID requirements can discourage participating in elections
In Kansas and Missouri, legal name changes and gender marker alterations can be long, tedious and costly processes, discouraging many trans and nonbinary voters from casting a ballot and barring the most financially disadvantaged from participating in elections altogether.
Young Kansans could prove to be a powerful voting bloc on Election Day
Voter registration among 18- to 24-year-olds is up in many states across the country, according to a report from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. This trend runs true in Kansas, where as of the end of September, voter registration among Kansans ages 18-24 was up 28% from November 2016.
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