Wyandotte County Election Commissioner Bruce Newby is retiring after 14 years as the county’s top election officer.
Newby will retire in February after holding the job since 2006. It will be up to Secretary of State Scott Schwab to pick his replacement.
“Bruce Newby has faithfully served our state and country throughout his remarkable career,” Schwab said in a statement
“We offer Mr. Newby our heartfelt gratitude for the diligence and dedication in which he led the Wyandotte County Election Office. We wish him well in his retirement.”
Newby graduated from the U.S Military Academy at West Point in 1970 and was commissioned officer in Army until 1990.
He earned a master’s degree in the administration of justice from The American University in 1977. He worked as a senior civil engineer for URS Corp., focusing on homeland security projects.
“I owe much to a very dedicated and thoroughly competent election office staff,” Newby wrote in his resignation letter.
“We have conducted numerous elections and I always knew that, regardless of the circumstances, we would guarantee the right of the citizens of Wyandotte County their right to vote,” he wrote.
“To my staff and the hundreds of election workers who have been involved with preparing for and conducting elections, I offer my heartfelt thanks and appreciation for a job well done.
During the general election in October, the Kansas Democratic Party criticized Newby for a lack of ballot drop boxes and advanced in-person voting locations.
The party said Wyandotte County provided fewer options for voters to cast their ballots when compared to other counties with large populations.
The county ultimately did add more boxes for Wyandotte County residents to cast their ballots.
“Election year 2020 carried with it unprecedented and life-threatening challenges,” wrote Newby, who is no relation to the former Johnson County election commissioner.
“The coronavirus pandemic made conducting safe elections for voters and election workers a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.
“But we successfully prepared for and conducted safe elections, made possible by the many election workers who dedicated themselves to the task despite the health risks facing them,” he said.
