This KCK candidate wasn’t eligible to vote for himself. Why that’s a good sign

Days after I questioned whether election officials are serious about residency requirements for those in public office, comes an encouraging sign that they are — though it’s been a painful experience for an eager candidate.

Wyandotte County election officials discovered Tuesday — when he tried to vote for himself — that Ned Kelley, a candidate for at-large District 2, actually lives in District 1. He says his girlfriend was even more upset that she couldn’t vote for him.

It appears to be an honest mistake on all parts, since Kelley had previously lived in at-large District 2 and had recently moved into District 1 without realizing it.

The Wyandotte County Elections Office quickly removed Kelley from the ballot by Friday, meaning he won’t appear on any Tuesday ballots without a successful legal challenge, which he was considering late Friday. Kelley is upset that the elections office didn’t catch the problem when he filed for office in the wrong district.

Wyandotte County Elections Commissioner Michael Abbott says future candidate filings will be double- and triple-checked for accuracy — which is a good thing for the republic, and for candidates filing for office in good faith like Kelley.