Today is voter registration deadline for primary election
Candidate forum planned tonight
by Mary Rupert
Students and employees at Kansas City Kansas Community College are seeing a “wall of candidates” in the lower Jewell building on campus at 7250 State Ave.
On the wall are photos and information about the candidates who are seeking office in the primary election on Aug. 1, according to Gary Bradley-Lopez, KCKCC student president. Candidates for mayor, Unified Government Commission, sheriff, Board of Public Utilities, KCKCC Board of Trustees, school boards and other offices are listed.
Bradley-Lopez said the “wall of candidates” is sponsored by the Student Senate and the Student Activities office at KCKCC. Students may pass by the wall on the way to the deli or the library.
He said the main purpose in putting this display about candidates together was to make students aware.
“A lot of students feel that their vote does not matter, and they feel like politics is just ‘poli-tricks,’ where the political system has no engagement with the people,” Bradley-Lopez said. “One thing they don’t know is a lot of times local elections are the biggest elections, because that’s actually what helps the people, and our votes do matter there.
“That’s how we want students to feel,” he said. “Your votes do matter here.”
Bradley-Lopez said that Tracy Reed, student activities secretary, did a lot of the work and posted all the information about the candidates on the wall.
Bradley-Lopez said he is considering a future in politics, including a run one year in the future for the UG Commission, and is planning to major in theater.
Voter registration deadline today
Bradley-Lopez noted that today, July 11, is the voter registration deadline for the primary election. Those who are not already registered to vote for the primary may register until 5 p.m. today at the Wyandotte County election office, 850 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. The KCKCC display also has printed forms for voter registration available. More information on registration is at http://www.wycokck.org/Election.aspx.
Voter registration also is online at https://www.kdor.ks.gov/Apps/VoterReg/Default.aspx. Those who have not previously registered to vote in Kansas will need a birth certificate or other accepted identification.
Advance voting begins on July 12, and more information on it is available on the election commissioner’s website.
Candidate forums planned
Tuesday, July 11, also is the date of a Unity with a Purpose candidate forum for mayor and sheriff candidates from 6 to 9 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 500 Nebraska Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. It is open to the public.
Another candidate forum is scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday, July 18 and 19, at the upper Jewell building at KCKCC, 7250 State Ave. The forum will begin at 6 p.m. The forum is sponsored by Business West, Central Avenue Betterment Association and the Historic Northeast-Midtown Association. There are plans to show the forum on the KCKCC cable channel before the primary.
Bradley-Lopez said the KCKCC Student Senate also will be holding a forum after the primary for the general election candidates.