Bob Nichols Jr. was a candidate for office in Jackson County, Missouri in 1976. History of his unsuccessful bid, as well as an entire century’s worth of history, will be on display Thursday for all to see.
Nichols is now a Director for the Board of Elections. On June 18, the Jackson County BOE turns 100 years old. They plan on hosting a centennial celebration on June 15. Fellow Director Tammy Brown says it’ll be a good way to show everyone how far the voting process has come and how much still needs to be accomplished.
“It’s amazing what people went through for the right to vote. Minorities, women, I mean there’s so much history out there," Brown said. "People have fought for this right and it gets really depressing when you see election results coming in at fifteen percent.”
The largest BOE in the KC Metro turns 100 this week. The board came to life after several reports of death. People were literally shot, stabbed, even beaten while heading to the polls.
"That’s why our board was formed," Brown said. "There was so much violence from people trying to come from Eastern Jackson County to go to Kansas City to vote."
The Jackson County Board of Elections will celebrate 100 years during a ceremony set for 3 to 5 p.m. June 15 at BOE Headquarters at 215 N. Liberty St. in Independence. Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. will be the keynote speaker. The event is open to the public.
