Effective this year, Johnson County’s Election Office will stop posting candidate campaign‑finance disclosures on its website. Forms filed on or after April 22, including donor lists, receipts and expenditures, will be available only through a Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) request.
Reason for the change
County officials say the shift is required to comply with a federal rule that mandates web content meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Many filings arrive in handwritten or scanned paper format, which cannot be easily converted for screen‑reader tools used by individuals who are blind or have visual impairments.
How the process will work
Anyone seeking the newer records must submit a KORA request, after which the county must respond within three business days. The office may charge fees for staff time, as allowed by state law. Records filed before April 22 remain searchable on the county’s site.
Potential consequences
If the county fails to meet the ADA web‑accessibility deadline—April 26, 2027 for jurisdictions of 50,000 residents or more—it could face a Department of Justice fine of about $115,000 for a first violation, rising to $230,000 for repeat offenses, as well as possible lawsuits.
Comparisons with other Kansas counties
Wyandotte County already provides financial filings only by in‑person request. Shawnee County officials are still working with IT to find a solution. Sedgwick and Douglas Counties continue to host records online, including handwritten forms.
Comments from officials and experts
Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt said most campaign‑finance documents arrive in a format that cannot be readily adjusted to meet web‑accessibility standards. Communications Director Lisa Thurber noted that converting these documents would require substantial staff time or third‑party services, costs the county wishes to avoid.
Law professor Mark Johnson, a partner at Dentons, said counties are within their rights to make this decision because the law does not require online posting of financial reports. Civil‑rights attorney Max Kautsch suggested the county could transcribe handwritten forms or offer fillable PDFs while keeping originals available at the office.
What this means for voters and candidates
Residents seeking up‑to‑date donor information will need to plan for the additional step of filing a KORA request. The change does not affect disclosures for state‑level offices, which are filed with the Kansas Secretary of State and the Kansas Public Disclosure Commission.
Original reporting: Johnson County Post (Overland Park) — read the source article.
