Filed Date: Dec. 10, 2021
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
This case involved allegations that local officials violated civil and voting rights laws by rejecting valid ballots cast by African-American voters and reporting fraudulent vote counts, thereby depriving the plaintiff of elected office.
A pro se Plaintiff, after her unsuccessful candidacy for Wyandotte County Sheriff, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas on December 10, 2021. Defendants included the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas (the “Unified Government”), Wyandotte County, the Election Commissioner; and a number of individuals, including the current Wyandotte County Sheriff, previous Wyandotte County Sheriff, Kansas Secretary of State, members of the Wyandotte County Board of Canvassers, and other individual Wyandotte County employees and officials. Plaintiff cited the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Plaintiff also cited 42 U.S.C. § 1983 alleging that the Election Commissioner and his staff deprived women voters of rights under the Nineteenth Amendment and deprived her and other African-American candidates of rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The case was initially assigned to District Judge John W. Lungstrum but was reassigned to Chief District Judge Eric F. Melgren for all further proceedings shortly thereafter. The case was also referred to Magistrate Judge Angel D. Mitchell.
Plaintiff had three key allegations in connection with her candidacy for Wyandotte County Sheriff in 2021, in which she claimed she “received the majority of the votes in the Sheriff race over Caucasian male candidate Daniel Soptic.” First, that the Wyandotte County Election Commissioner, acting under color of state law, “illegally rejected valid eligible ballots” that were cast by African-American and women voters in favor of her and two other candidates. Second, that the Commissioner “purposely report[ed] fraudulent numbers” that prevented her and the other candidates from obtaining their elected seats over Caucasian opponents. Third, that the Commissioner, the Wyandotte County Board of Canvassers, the County Administrator, election workers, the Kansas Secretary of State, and Wyandotte County attorneys “refused to issue Certificate of Elections to African American Candidates who received the majority of the votes.” Plaintiff asked the court to order an inspection of the voting machines, a manual ballot recount, and an update of voting records on turnout and ballots cast. She further asked the court to revoke the certificate establishing the validity of the election results in favor of the Sheriff and any other candidate who did not win a majority of votes. She also asked the court to order a run-off election supervised by the Department of Justice and sought sheriff salary back pay from December 13, 2021, at least $25,000,000 in punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees.
Plaintiff filed a complaint on December 10, 2021 and an amended complaint on January 20, 2022. On March 9, 2022, Magistrate Judge Angel D. Mitchell filed a Report and Recommendation recommending that Plaintiff’s complaint be dismissed without prejudice. The Report and Recommendation found that Plaintiff’s claims on her own behalf were subject to dismissal and Plaintiff’s claims on behalf of third-party voters were also subject to dismissal. On April 7, 2022, an Order adopting the Report and Recommendation was filed and the complaint was dismissed without prejudice.
On April 21, 2022, an amended complaint was filed and appears to remain open, though there have been no updates to the case since then.
Summary Authors
Carlo DeHart (8/6/2025)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/61611993/parties/towers-v-wyandotte-county-kansas-unified-government-of/
Melgren, Eric F. (Kansas)
Towers, Celisha (Kansas)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/61611993/towers-v-wyandotte-county-kansas-unified-government-of/
Last updated Jan. 31, 2026, 2:10 a.m.
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Law Firm Antiracism Alliance (LFAA) project
Key Dates
Filing Date: Dec. 10, 2021
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
An unsuccessful candidate for Wyandotte County Sheriff in the 2021 election cycle.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: Yes
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Wyandotte County Election Commissioner (Wyandotte), County
Board of Canvasser (Wyandotte), County
Assistant County Administrator (Wyandotte), County
Voter Register (Wyandotte), County
Advance Voting (Wyandotte), County
Election Worker Program Coordinator (Wyandotte), County
Election Technology Program Coordinator (Wyandotte), County
Election Equipment Program Coordinator (Wyandotte), County
Sheriff of Wyandotte County (Wyandotte), County
County Administrator (Wyandotte), County
Unified Government of Wyandotte County (Wyandotte), County
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Title VI, Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq.
Voting Rights Act, unspecified, 52 U.S.C. § 10301 et seq (previously 42 U.S.C § 1973 et seq.)
Constitutional Clause(s):
Other Dockets:
District of Kansas 5:21-cv-04089
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Relief Granted:
Source of Relief:
Issues
Discrimination Basis:
Affected Race(s):
Affected Sex/Gender(s):
Voting: