Before I was able to hit send on this newsletter, news broke yesterday that Trump endorsed Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson for the upcoming Republican primary. From my years of closely following the Kansas legislature, I can confidently say that Masterson will be a disaster for Kansas.
While the US Senate race has been taking up headlines, particularly with Adam Hamilton entering the Democratic primary, you’ll see below why I believe the Governor’s race should have our attention.
EVERYONE, as in all Kansans, should vote in the August 4 primary.
Registered Republicans
Registered Democrats
Unaffiliated voters
You get the picture. EVERYONE has something important on the ballot and everyone has options to consider before the upcoming June 1 deadline.
Governor
US Senate and US House Representatives
State House Representatives
Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Insurance Commissioner (all very important offices)
Various local races
And an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. More on that below, but just know that we need Kansans to turn out in big numbers to…
This is your opportunity to decide which one of the many Democratic or Republican candidates for each of the above offices will advance to the November ballot. Too often voters don’t show up for the August primary and we are left with poor or extreme choices when the November general election rolls around.
The best candidates advance when more voters engage in our democracy. Typical primary turnout can be around 20%—that is not working.
June 1 is the last day to change your party affiliation before the August 4 primary. Your party affiliation as of June 1 determines what will be on your primary ballot:
Registered Republican ballot: All of the Republican candidates for the races listed above, local non-partisan races, AND the constitutional amendment.
Registered Democrat ballot: All of the Democratic candidates for the races listed above, local non-partisan races, AND the constitutional amendment.
Unaffiliated: You’ve got some options and time to decide up until the day you show up to the polls or request a mail ballot.
Remain unaffiliated and your primary ballot will include the local non-partisan races AND the constitutional amendment
Vote the Republican ballot by registering as a republican in-person at the polls, or by requesting the Republican mail ballot
Vote the Democratic ballot by registering as a democrat in-person at the polls, or by requesting the Democratic mail ballot.
Note: It’s easy for unaffiliated voters to register with a party when they vote. In-person at the polls you just ask for that party’s ballot and you’ll sign your name to affiliate with the party. Or if voting by mail, you’ll check a box on the advance mail ballot application:
I’m unaffiliated and I recommend affiliating with a party in primary elections so you can have a voice in who ends up on the November ballot. Everyone deserves a voice. You can then stay affiliated with that party or switch back to unaffiliated anytime after September 1 using the link below.
Confirm your current party affiliation on Kansas Voter View (myvoteinfo.voteks.org).
Decide if you want to keep your current status or wish to change.
Want to make a change? Click here to change your party affiliation on-line before June 1. You will essentially fill out a new voter registration that will connect with your past voting history (i.e., which elections you’ve voted in)
Here’s a handy graphic from Stand Up Blue Valley that I altered a bit (green box) to explain it all:
Note, your party affiliation does not matter for November elections. You can vote for a candidate from any party. This is a question I get from time to time. Please message me if you have additional questions.
Here are some things you might consider:
Do you feel strongly about the party you are registered with? Stick with that party and vote that primary ballot.
Do you have a candidate/race you feel strongly about? Maybe you really want a particular candidate to advance to the November ballot, or maybe there’s a candidate you really don’t want to advance. Register with that candidate’s party affiliation and vote accordingly. For example:
Maybe you have a strong preference among the democrats for Governor—Cindy Holscher or Ethan Corson. Vote in the Democratic primary.
Maybe you want to ensure a far-right republican candidate for Governor (e.g., Ty Masterson) doesn’t advance to the November ballot . Vote in the Republican primary for the only moderate—Vicki Schmidt.
Still not sure and want to keep your options open up until the August 4 election? Consider registering as unaffiliated before June 1.
Note of caution about being unaffiliated: If you do feel affiliated with a particular party, being unaffiliated will make it harder for that party to find you to share information about their candidates or share volunteer needs, etc. during the time period when you are unaffiliated.
In my opinion…
For the last 7+ years, Governor Kelly has served as an important check (as best she could) on a far-right GOP supermajority in the Kansas legislature. Meanwhile, in my home state of Iowa, I have seen what can happen under a far-right GOP supermajority with a far-right Republican governor.
Kansas is just one “far-right governor” away from becoming Iowa—a state once lauded for excellent public education and being one of the first to allow same sex marriage to a state passing a universal private school voucher program (draining funds for public education) and a 6 week abortion ban.
I believe we 100% need to elect another Democratic Governor in November to ensure we have some balance in our state. Thankfully, all of the democratic candidates would serve us well as governor.
For those voting in the Democratic primary, do your research and pick your preferred candidate.
For all of us in this group, we need to work our tails off for whichever candidate wins the Democratic primary to help them get elected in November.
There is no guarantee a democrat will win. In fact, Kansas has never elected back-to-back Democratic governors. We’ll need to put in the work to change that this year.
But, I also believe…
That insurance plan is moderate republican gubernatorial candidate Vicki Schmidt. Every other republican candidate is far-right—horrible voting records, touting Trump, and would bring Iowa policies to Kansas. Vicki Schmidt has served as the Insurance Commissioner for the last eight years and is well respected by Kansans on both sides of the aisle.
With that in mind, if this “insurance plan” resonates with you, consider voting in the republican primary to vote for Vicki Schmidt for Governor by doing one of the following:
Stay registered as a Republican if you already are, or
Register as a Republican or Unaffiliated by June 1. If unaffiliated, request the republican ballot when you go to vote.
Again, you can always switch back to your preferred affiliation after September 1 by simply re-registering on-line.
Normally, I’d say no. With low voter turnout in August primary elections, we’ve continually witnessed one moderate republican after another lose to more extreme republican candidates in recent years. But this year, with one moderate republican and somewhere around eight far-right republican gubernatorial candidates, there is hope that Vicki Schmidt could rise to the top as votes are split between the other candidates.
In my mind, advancing a democrat and Vicki Schmidt to the November ballot would be ideal. If we can’t get the democrat across the finish line, we have a decent backup to prevent Kansas from turning into Iowa. On the other hand, some believe the Democratic candidate would have a better chance of winning against someone like a Trump backed Ty Masterson. But, I fear that is a risk we may not want to take.
Unfortunately we don’t. But, we do have two important things.
Our vote. Don’t let it go to waste. Do your best to become informed on the candidates and the races and use your vote to do what you think is best for Kansas. Don’t trust that those 20% that always show up in primaries are going to leave you with the best options on the November ballot. Commit now to voting in the primary.
Our friends and family. Encourage them to vote in the primary. Help them understand why primaries are so important and explain the June 1 deadline. A lot of folks just don’t feel informed, especially at the state and local level. You are a trusted messenger. Your conversations have more power than any political ad or flyer in their mailbox.
Which also leads me to the…
I’ll let this graphic from Kansas United for Impartial Courts (KUIC) explain the situation.
Kansas has relied on our impartial courts to protect things like school funding, reproductive rights, voting rights, and more. This Vote NO to keep billionaires and special interest groups from buying seats on the Kansas Supreme Court is equally as important (if not more important) than our no vote in 2022, which could essentially be overturned if we allow our Supreme Court to be politicized.
But, it’s a bit harder to get the word out when we don’t have the overturning of Roe v. Wade to energize voters like we did last time. So, KUIC could really use a lot of volunteers to help voters understand the importance of turning out to Vote No.
That’s where we all come in.
All of these opportunities come with training.
MESSAGE TRAINING from Kansas United for Impartial Courts
These two virtual events will help train and provide everything needed for folks like us to give informational presentations within our community on the Vote NO effort. Think local library, church groups, organizations you are involved with, or even gathering a group of your friends.
Click here to sign up for one of these virtual trainings on:
Wednesday, May 27 at 10 a.m.
Thursday, May 28 at 6 p.m.
PHONE BANKING AND CANVASSING (knocking doors)
A lot of volunteers will be needed for this week’s events and in the coming weeks. Grab a friend and be part of the important effort to keep Kansas courts fair and impartial, and free from billionaire and special interest group influence!
Click here to sign up to phone bank from anywhere. You don’t need to commit to the full three hours. Join at the beginning of one of the sessions for the training and make calls for as long as you can.
Kansas City area — Click here to sign up to knock doors
Wichita area — Click here to sign up to knock doors
For anyone who would like to help Iowa return to the state it once was, I just learned about an upcoming opportunity in our area where we can help have an impact on the Iowa governor race. Message me for more information.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.