Month: October 2017

So far, advance voting applications disappointing for Nov. 7 election

Voter registration deadline is Tuesday

More candidate forums to be held this week

by Mary Rupert

So far, advance voting applications have been disappointing for the Nov. 7 general election, according to Wyandotte County Election Commissioner Bruce Newby.

The election office sent out information about mail-in ballots and had a good response shortly after it went out, but that has tapered off, he said.

Registered voters may choose whether to vote in person Nov. 7 on Election Day, or in advance at the election office and two satellite locations, or by advance mail-in ballots.

There are about 3,974 applications received from voters now for mail-in ballots here, he said. That includes about 1,200 permanent advance voters who automatically get a ballot and others who contact the election office for one.

The Nov. 7 election will include candidates for mayor, Unified Government Commission, sheriff, Board of Public Utilities, Kansas City Kansas Community College Board of Trustees, local school boards, Bonner Springs and Edwardsville. The UG mayor’s contest, between incumbent Mayor Mark Holland and challenger David Alvey, has attracted the most attention so far.

Advance voting in person will start on Oct. 28 at the election office at 850 State Ave., Eisenhower Recreation Center, 2901 N. 72nd St., and Argentine Community Center, 2810 Metropolitan Ave.

Newby said he expected more people to sign up for mail-in ballots, but he is “waiting for the enthusiasm to catch on.”

“In a low turnout election, it’s anybody’s game,” Newby said. He has seen some low turnout elections where incumbents did well, and others where challengers won, he said.

There isn’t a specific reason why the numbers are low for mail-in ballots, but he said traditionally the municipal and school board elections have had low turnout. Sometimes voters don’t know who is running for office, he said, and candidates need to do a better job of educating them. He hopes enthusiasm will pick up closer to the election.

Newby said he was pleasantly surprised during the primary election this year, when more people voted than he expected, based on past statistics. If the general election follows the same path, there could be a good turnout, he added.

Previously, municipal elections were held in the spring, with the primary in February. There is more of a chance of good weather now than in February and March, which is one of the reasons the Legislature moved the date of city elections to the fall, he said.

Voter registration deadline is Tuesday

Voter registration deadline for this election is Tuesday, Oct. 17, at the end of the day. Newby said those who walk in to register to vote at the election office at 850 State Ave. will have until 5 p.m. Oct. 17 to register.

Those who are registering online and at the libraries may see different closing hours, he added. Online registration may continue until midnight Tuesday.

More candidate forums to be held this week

Voters will have another chance to meet the candidates at public forums to be held this week.

The forums include:

• Tuesday, Oct. 17, from 6 to 9 p.m., Upper Jewell building, Kansas City Kansas Community College, 7250 State Ave. Candidates are invited for mayor, sheriff, Unified Government Commission and Board of Public Utilities. The forum is sponsored by Business West, neighborhood and business organizations with KCKCC.

• Wednesday, Oct. 18, from 6 to 9 p.m., Upper Jewell building, Kansas City Kansas Community College, 7250 State Ave. Candidates are invited for KCKCC Board of Trustees and Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education. The forum is sponsored by Business West, neighborhood and business organizations with KCKCC.

• Friday, Oct. 20, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Blessed Sacrament Family Center gym, 2215 Parallel Ave. Candidates were invited for mayor, sheriff, UG Commission, District 1, BPU at large District 1, and Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education. The forum is sponsored by Unity with Purpose and Forum Partners, including the NAACP.

Advance voting schedule

Advance voting in person is taking place at the Election Office, 850 State Ave., open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 and Nov. 4; closed on Sunday, Oct. 29; open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Oct. 30 to Nov. 3; closed Sunday, Nov. 5; and open from 8 a.m. to noon Monday, Nov. 6.

The satellite voting centers at Eisenhower Recreation and Argentine Community centers will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28; closed Sunday, Oct. 29; open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, Oct. 30 through Nov. 3; open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4; and closed Sunday, Nov. 5.

For more information on satellite voting, see http://wycovotes.org/where-do-i-vote/.

A list of candidates appearing on the ballot is at https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56606b47e4b0b9403ad6ff96/t/59ba86e9d7bdcee112c01f1d/1505396457468/Candidate+on+the+General+Election+Ballot+110717.pdf

More information about the election is at the Wyandotte County Election Office website, http://www.wycovotes.org/, or voters may call 913-573-8500.

At that website, there also is a link to check to see if voters are registered.

Community invited to 43rd annual Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast

The Wyandotte County mayors, in cooperation with Wyandotte County Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast Committee, will hold the 43rd annual Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast at 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 3.

The breakfast buffet and program will be held at the Reardon Convention Center at 500 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, Kan. Seating begins at 7:30 a.m. Tickets are $22 per person. All ticket reservations must be paid in advance.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark A. Dupree Sr. The event is open to everyone.

Dupree, who was sworn into office on Jan. 9, 2017, leads an office of 60 employees and manages a significant budget each fiscal year. The District Attorney’s office is responsible for keeping the community safe. He is implementing strategic and visionary policies to expand the function of the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office. Dupree’s focus is equitably charging and prosecuting crime, being proactive, attacking violent crimes and crimes that affect the standard of living in the community.

“I am focused on implementing the platform the citizens of Wyandotte County elected me to execute,” Dupree said, in a news release. His four-point plan for making Wyandotte County safer, includes: 1. Smart Prosecution; 2. Community Prosecutor’s Unit; 3. Fiscal Responsibility, and 4. Youth Investment.

Dupree has practiced in a diversity of legal capacities. He clerked in Jackson County, Mo., served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Jackson County, served as an assistant public defender in the Johnson County Public Defender’s Office, and he and his wife practiced in their firm, Dupree and Dupree, LLC – Attorneys at Law, until his swearing into office.

Dupree’s goal is to give back what was sowed into him, and he does this by speaking at countless churches and schools, according to a spokesman. Dupree has been the host of “Legal Shadow Day” experiences, sponsored a free month-long legal clinic, and has been the host of “Cuts and Confidence,” providing half-price haircuts to students in the Wyandotte County area.

Dupree is an active member in the community. He is an associate pastor and ordained elder at his father’s church in Wyandotte County. He is a governor on the Kansas Bar Association Board of Governors, serves on the Kansas Legal Services Board of Directors, former committee chairperson for the Wyandotte County Bar Association, is an executive board member on the Earl E. O’Connor American Inn of Courts, serves on the Board of Directors for the Sunflower House, a Children’s Advocacy center and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Dupree attended the University of Kansas and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a minor in Leadership Studies. He attended Washburn University School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctorate Degree. Dupree is married to his law school sweetheart and former law partner, attorney Shanelle Dupree, and they have four children.

“We encourage the community to attend the Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast and hear how Dupree’s faith has given him a special direction in life and commitment to the community,” Tom Johnson, Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast committee chairperson, said.

All ticket reservations must be paid in advance. Reservations may be made by emailing emailing [email protected].