About 50 people gathered Tuesday evening on the campus of Salina Area Technical College to participate in a forum which provided information about the upcoming special election which will decide whether or not the pit bull dog ban in Salina will be rescinded.

The purpose of the event was to educate about the breed-specific dog law, and detail how to participate in the mail-in ballot election. A panel of presenters included:

• Saline County Election Clerk Jamie Doss explaining the voting process.
• Salina City Manager Jacob Wood discussing the challenges with the current law and the challenges of changing the law.
• State Director of the Humane Society of the United States Midge Grinstead urging a yes vote.
• Alan Jilka, Salina City Commissioner when the law was passed, urging a no vote.

The event began with a presentation from each panel member.

Doss began, and explained how the mail in election will work. Wood then  followed, and spoke about the ordinance, and a little about the history. Jilka then spoke about his time as a Salina City Commissioner when the ordinance passed in 2004. As part of his presentation he displayed a photo of a three-year-old girl who was attacked by two pit bulls in 2004 while she was playing in her backyard.  When Grinstead spoke she focused on breed-specific ordinances she has dealt with over her 34-year-career.

A three-person media panel then asked questions, followed by questions from the public.

The pit bull ban in Salina was enacted by the Salina City Commission back in 2004. Prior to the law being passed there were 24 pit bull bite incidents in a two year span, between 2003 – 2004, including a child who suffered severe facial injuries after being mauled.

In December of 2019 the issue was revisited again. At that time Salina City Commissioners voted 3 – 2 to not overturn the breed specific ordinance which makes the dog illegal to have within city limits.

On October 27, 2025, a petition to repeal the pit bull dog ban in Salina was presented to the Salina City Manager’s Office. A couple of weeks later Doss, the Saline County Election Officer, validated the petition.

Once the petition was validated, the Salina City Commission had two options, to vote to repeal the ordinance themselves, or to let citizens decide the issue via a special election. They opted for a mail-in special election.

There is one question on the ballot, asking if the pit bull ordinance should be repealed. A “yes” vote is to repeal the current ordinance thus making pit bulls legal, a “no” vote is to not change the ordinance and keep the breed ban in place.

Deadline to register to vote was Tuesday. Beginning Wednesday over 27,000 ballots will be mailed to registered voters.

Doss said it should take 3 – 5 days for the ballots to arrive once they are sent. If after about 5 days a ballot has not been received a replacement can be requested. Once ballots are sent, voters can check the status of theirs on the Kansas Secretary of State’s Voter View Website . 

Deadline for ballots to be returned is February 24th at noon. Ballots can mailed, dropped off at the Saline County Clerk’s Office, or deposited in the secure drop box outside the Salina City County Building. No late ballots will be accepted.

The forum Tuesday evening was hosted by the Salina Area Technical College Student Government Association and by the League of Women Voters. It was recorded, and will be made available on the League of Women Voters website and social media.