Tag: Kansas

Kansas voting guide: What to know about the 2022 election

Abortion rights, the governor and other important offices are up for a vote this year in Kansas. KCUR assembled a guide to help you navigate the 2022 election, including information on how to vote and what to expect on your ballot.

by Roxie Hammill, KCUR and Kansas News Service

Kansans will be in the national spotlight when they make their choices in the upcoming Aug. 2 primary. Several big questions will be on the ballot, most notably an amendment to the state constitution on abortion, plus some hotly contested party races for U.S. Senate, governor and Congress.

Kansas will actually be the first state in the country to vote on abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. In the August election, voters across the state will be asked whether abortion should be removed as a right from the state constitution as well.

Kansas has a closed primary system, meaning you have to declare yourself a member of a political party if you want to vote on Republican or Democratic ballots, and decide who will qualify for the general election in November. If you’re already affiliated with one party, you can’t switch parties at the polls.

Unaffiliated voters, however, can choose to join a political party at the polls to vote in their primary. Unaffiliated voters may also remain unaffiliated and still vote on ballot questions (like the abortion amendment) and non-partisan races.

KCUR assembled a guide to help you navigate Kansas’ 2022 election, including information on how to vote, and a brief rundown of what to expect on your ballot.

Key dates:

• Deadline to change party affiliation if already registered: July 1, 2022
• Voter registration deadline for primary: July 12, 2022
• Advance voting begins: July 13, 2022
• Last day to apply for advance mail ballot: July 26, 2022
• In-person advance voting ends: Aug. 1, 202
• Deadline for mailed ballot to be postmarked: Aug. 2
• Primary election: Aug. 2, 2022
• Last day for mailed ballots to reach the election office and still be counted: Aug. 5 at 5 p.m.
• Voter registration deadline for general: Oct. 18, 2022
• General election: Nov. 8, 2022

Voter information

Am I registered to vote?

You must be 18 years old by Election Day, a U.S. citizen and a resident of Kansas to be able to vote in the Kansas primary and general elections. However, you can still register if you are currently 17 but will turn 18 by Election Day.

The deadline to register to vote before Kansas’ August primary is July 12, 2022.

If you think you may already be registered but aren’t sure — or need to double check your party association — there’s an easy way to check online through the Kansas Secretary of State’s office. This site will also show you where your polling place is on Election Day.

In order to register to vote, you will be asked to verify a driver’s license or a non-driver’s ID and fill in some personal information. Those without a driver’s license or non-driver ID can ask for a paper form at the online address below.

You’ll also be asked whether you are currently serving a sentence for felony conviction, which includes probation or parole. If so, you are ineligible to vote. Once probation or parole is finished, you are eligible to re-register to vote.

Your completed application should be returned to the county election office, where registration in person is also available.

Here’s where you can can register to vote, or update your registration:
• Online here
• In-person at your nearby election office, city hall or driver’s license location.
•
Spanish language voter registration forms are also available on the Secretary of State’s website.

Can I vote in advance if I’m not able to on Election Day?

Kansas offers several options for no-excuse advance voting, both in person and by mail.

All Kansas voters have the option to vote by mail without submitting a reason. However, a new request for a mail-in ballot must be made for each election. Blank forms are available on the Secretary of State’s website.

Advance by-mail ballots can be requested any time, but Kansas won’t start mailing those out until July 13, 2022. When you mail back in your completed ballot, it must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by the county no later than the close of business the Friday after the election. Find your county election office here.

Advance mail ballots can also be dropped off in secure drop boxes provided by the county.

Drop box availability and locations will vary by county and from election to election, so the Secretary of State’s office advises voters to check with their county election office for details. (For example, here are the drop boxes in Johnson County and Wyandotte County.)

Once you’ve mailed in your advance ballot, the Secretary of State’s office offers a way to track your ballot and make sure it’s been received and processed correctly.

In-person advance voting works the same way as regular voting, except you do it before Election Day at one of your county’s advance voting sites. You still need to bring appropriate ID and sign the poll book.

Advance voting sites also vary from year to year, and are not the same as your Election Day polling location. Check with your county election office to find where and when they’re open.

How do I vote on Election Day?

Kansas polling places are open from at least 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Election Day, Aug. 2. Some counties may choose to open polls an hour earlier and keep them open an hour later. If you are in line at the time of closing, you have a right to cast a ballot — stay in line.

Find your polling place and sample ballot at the Secretary of State’s website.

By law, Kansas voting must be accessible to voters of all ages and disabilities. If more than 5% of a county’s voting-age population is from a single-language minority and not able to understand English, alternative printed materials or interpreters must be available.

Five counties meet this requirement: Finney, Ford, Grant, Haskell and Seward.

In addition, each polling place must have at least one machine compliant with the Help America Vote Act to allow voters with disabilities to vote in secret.

Do I need voter ID?

Yes. Photo identification is required in Kansas to vote in person, either in advance or on Election Day. (If you vote by mail, you will be asked to provide proof of acceptable ID when you apply for a ballot).

Kansas accepts the following forms of photo identification:

• Driver’s license or ID card issued by the state of Kansas or another state
• U.S. passport
• U.S. military ID
• ID card issued by a Native American tribe
• Employee badge or ID from a government agency
• Student ID card from an postsecondary Kansas school
• Concealed carry license issued
• Public assistance ID card

If you don’t have your ID at the polling place, you will be given a provisional ballot. That means your vote won’t be included in Election Day totals. You must return to the election office to present your ID before your ballot can be counted during the vote canvass.


Provisional ballots can also be issued if you show up at the wrong polling place or if you voted by mail, but then voted again in person.

Registered Kansas voters can apply for a free, non-driver ID card from the Kansas Division of Motor Vehicles. You can download the form online here, or find it at all driver’s license offices and county election offices.

What am I voting on?

In the August primary, Kansas voters will pick their candidates for a number of major states offices — from governor on down — and weigh in on a major abortion rights ballot issue. The entire Kansas House is also up for reelection this year, so you may see those primaries on the ballot too, along with some contests for the State Board of Education and a number of local races.

Here’s a rundown of constitutional amendments and major primary contests in Kansas. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order, and campaign websites are included where they could be found.

You can request a sample ballot from your county election office. Those are also available online as early as 45 days before the election from the Secretary of State’s office, once the counties submit them, but there have been some delays this year due to redistricting. That link also lists your Congressional, state House and Senate, and local districts.

Abortion amendment

Abortions are currently legal in Kansas. But that may change depending on how Kansas vote on a proposed constitutional amendment appearing on the Aug. 2 ballot.

Passed by the Kansas Legislature, the “Value Them Both Amendment” would change the Kansas Constitution to declare that there is no right to an abortion in the state. After the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, there are no longer nationwide protections for abortion access.

The Kansas constitutional amendment would not ban abortions outright. However, it would open the door to state lawmakers to then pass laws restricting abortion access.

Here is a link to the full ballot language. Voting “yes” means you are in favor of removing the right to an abortion from the Kansas Constitution, while voting “no” would reject the amendment and keep existing protections for abortion access.

All voters in Kansas are allowed to vote on the constitutional amendment, whether or not they are affiliated with a political party. A simple majority vote is required for the amendment to be approved.

Read more about the amendment from the Kansas News Service.

U.S. Senate

Jerry Moran, who has represented Kansas in the U.S. Senate since 2011, is running for reelection. With the balance of the U.S. Senate at stake this year, expect a lot of attention on the general election race.

Democrats


• Mike Andra, Wichita
• Paul Buskirk, Lawrence
• Mark Holland, Kansas City, Kansas
• Robert Klingenberg, Salina
• Michael Soetaert, Alta Vista
• Patrick Wiesner, Overland Park

Republicans


• Joan Farr, Derby
• Jerry Moran, Manhattan

U.S. House of Representatives

Members of the U.S. House are reelected every two years, so every representative in Kansas is on the ballot this year. However, not all primaries are competitive.

Another thing to note: Congressional boundaries in Kansas have changed this year, under a redistricting plan passed by the Kansas Legislature and upheld by the state supreme court.


Here’s a rundown of Republicans and Democrats running in the primaries for each U.S. House race.

First District


Democrat


• James “Jimmy” Beard, Garden City
Republican
• Tracey Mann, Salina

Second District


Democrat


• Patrick Schmidt, Topeka


Republican


• Jake LaTurner, Topeka

Third District


Democrats


• Sharice Davids, Shawnee


Republicans


• Amanda Adkins, Overland Park
• John McCaughrean, Kansas City, Kansas

Fourth District


Democrats


• Bob Hernandez, Wichita


Republican


• Ron Estes, Wichita

Governor and Lieutenant Governor


Kansas is the only state won by former President Donald Trump in 2020 that has an incumbent Democratic governor. Now, Gov. Laura Kelly — who took office in 2019 — is facing a tough reelection figh

Democrats


• Richard Karnowski/Barry Franco
• Laura Kelly/David Toland


Republicans


• Arlyn Briggs/Lance Berland
• Derek Schmidt/Katie Sawyer

Secretary of State


Democrats


• Jeanna Repass, Overland Park


Republicans


• Mike Brown, Overland Park
• Scott Schwab, Kansas City

Attorney General


Democrats


• Chris Mann, Lawrence


Republicans


• Kris Kobach, Lecompton
• Tony Mattivi, Topeka
• Kellie Warren, Leawood

State Treasurer

Democrats


• Lynn Rogers, Wichita


Republicans


• Steven Johnson, Assaria
• Caryn Tyson, Parker

The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy.

Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.

See more at https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2022-07-07/kansas-election-2022-abortion-voting-guide

Kansas report on evictions highlights ignorance of legal system, confusion over rent assistance

by Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — A new judicial committee report on evictions in Kansas points to multiple problems with a complex, fast-paced legal system for ousting tenants who fail to pay their rent.

Three-fourths of eviction filings are resolved through procedural errors, an indicator of the ignorance tenants and landlords have with the legal process, the report found. Under the strain of the pandemic, courts failed to mitigate widespread confusion and misunderstanding about the availability of $300 million in federal aid administered by the state, half of which went unused.

The report recommended judges tell tenants early in the process that they can fight their eviction and that rental aid may be available to them. Other recommendations include targeting high schoolers with programs designed to educate them about the landlord-tenant relationship before they sign their first lease.

The committee also applied for a grant to install a program in Sedgwick County, which accounts for one-third of the state’s eviction filings, where an evictions facilitator could try to resolve disputes outside of the legal system.

The Kansas Supreme Court established the committee to examine best practices in anticipation of a spike in evictions after state and federal moratoriums expired in October 2021. Judge Sarah Warner, of the Kansas Court of Appeals, led the committee, which included judges, trial clerks, attorneys who routinely represent tenants and property owners, and representatives of landlords in Wichita and Hays. The 29-page report, dated April 20, was released on Wednesday.

The committee examined the evictions process and court filings going back to the 12-month fiscal year that ended in June 2017. The panel found that tenants didn’t respond to half the filings, resulting in an automatic judgment for the landlords. A quarter of the cases were dismissed because property owners had not provided a three-day notice required under state law for a tenant to come up with overdue rent.

Courts reported about 14,500 eviction filings per year in the three years before the pandemic, but no more than 150 cases went to trial in any of those years.

“The committee questions the wisdom and equity of this judicial model, which relies, at least in part, on litigants’ ignorance to stay afloat,” the report said.

Vince Munoz, of Rent Zero Kansas, a coalition that advocates for tenants, questioned the findings and recommendations of the committee because its members didn’t include a tenant, or anybody who has been evicted.

“It’s really hard to understate how significant of an oversight that is,” Munoz said. “For people who experience an eviction, when the court case is done, that’s when the impact starts on their life. For all the attorneys involved, it’s all over when the judge bangs the gavel or releases the opinion.”

He also said the report misses a broader point about the number of informal evictions that happen in Kansas by landlords who disconnect utilities or otherwise harass tenants into leaving. Many landlords declined to renew leases as they expired during the pandemic, or refused to accept federal aid — loopholes in state and federal orders banning evictions, Munoz said. Those factors could help explain why most of Kansas didn’t see a spike in eviction filings after the moratoriums expired.

The data presented in the committee’s report also shows that Kansas courts continued to handle thousands of eviction cases while the moratoriums were in place.

“The courts don’t really serve tenants’ interests,” Munoz said. “They serve those who are already powerful in the situation, and they just kind of sanitize and formalize landlord power over tenants.”

The judicial committee report, however, is critical of how some courts handle evictions and sympathetic to the challenges presented to tenants throughout a legal process that is designed to last no more than six weeks.

After a landlord provides a three-day notice for overdue rent, and the three days lapse without payment, the landlord can file an eviction petition in district court. The tenant has 14 days to respond. If the tenant disputes the allegation, a trial is set within 14 days. If the property owner prevails at trial, the court will order the tenant to be removed within 14 days.

Tenants may choose not to contest an eviction because they know they are unable to pay rent, the report found, or because they feel overwhelmed and don’t understand that they have the right to contest the eviction.

Tenants also didn’t know the rental assistance was available, or that it could be used even after the landlord had filed an eviction. Some judges asked the parties at trial if they had considered trying to get rental aid, but attorneys said that information needed to be presented early in the process — especially since so few cases reach trial.

One judge balked at the idea of notifying parties that funds were available, because it could be viewed as providing legal advice. Others on the committee rejected the concern.

The committee took interest in a program in Monroe County, Indiana, where the district court employs an evictions facilitator who answers questions for property owners and tenants, provides information about federal aid, and is available to act as a mediator if the two sides are willing to resolve the case outside of court.

“As one committee member who manages rental properties observed, it is in everyone’s best interest if a tenant continues to live in the property and a property owner continues to be paid under the lease,” the report said.

The committee applied for grant through National Center for State Courts to establish a similar program in Sedgwick County that could serve as a toolkit across the state.

Unlike other areas of the state, eviction filings significantly increased in Sedgwick County after moratoriums were lifted. While the rest of the state saw filings last fall merely return to pre-pandemic levels, there was a 25% increase from pre-pandemic eviction cases in Sedgwick County. More cases in Sedgwick County result in default judgment for the property owner, and fewer cases go to trial.

Munoz said Sedgwick County established its own rental assistance program with federal aid, while the rest of the state was served by the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation.

Under the KHRC program, tenants and landlords can apply jointly for up to 18 months of assistance. Eligible households also may receive a lump sum of $900 in past-due or future internet assistance.

The organization’s general counsel served on the committee, and a spokeswoman said KHRC has now disbursed $196 million in rental aid.

“More than a third of Kansans rent their homes, and many have struggled to cover rent and utility bills since the pandemic began,” said Ryan Vincent, executive director of KHRC, in a news release in March. “The financial repercussions are far from over for our most vulnerable families. This crucial assistance is still available to keep Kansans safely housed throughout our economic recovery.”

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/07/08/kansas-report-on-evictions-highlights-ignorance-of-legal-system-confusion-over-rent-assistance/

Burned out: As more educators leave, Kansas faces its worst-ever teacher shortage

The Kansas teacher shortage has been building for years. But new research by the RAND Corporation shows that the COVID-19 pandemic increased teachers’ levels of stress and burnout and may be accelerating the exodus.

by Suzanne Perez, KMUW and Kansas News Service

Wichita, Kansas — First came the school year where a killer virus sent everybody home early. Then the maddening online year. Followed by the half-and-half year.

Amid all that, teachers — or public schools writ large — became the enemy. Hostility boiled over about wearing masks, banning library books or teaching about history and race. And fears continued about gunmen storming classrooms.

Many teachers, principals and superintendents found themselves burned out, or merely worn out, and they’re calling it quits — heading for retirement or other jobs.

Now Kansas finds itself facing the most severe teacher shortage it’s ever known. Roughly 4% of teaching jobs — about 1,400 — are unfilled, and by the time the first bell rings this fall, it’s likely to be worse, not better.

“Forty years ago, there were up to 100 applicants for every (teaching) job in Kansas,” said Education Commissioner Randy Watson. This fall, even large districts will be lucky to get 10, he said. “We’ll have shortages.”

The problem has been building for years. But new research by the RAND Corporation shows that the COVID-19 pandemic increased teachers’ levels of stress and burnout and may be accelerating the exodus.

The RAND think tank’s national survey of teachers and principals in January found educators faring far worse than other working adults on several indicators of overall well-being.

Nearly three-fourths of teachers and 85% of principals complained of frequent stress from their jobs. That’s more than double most adults. Fifty-nine percent of teachers and 48% of principals say they’re burned out.

Nearly a third of teachers and principals said they were likely to leave their current job by the end of the school year, an increase since RAND’s survey in 2021. Teachers of color were more likely than white teachers to say they intended to leave.

For several years now, the survey has painted “a picture of stress and of some job dissatisfaction for many educators,” said Elizabeth Steiner, a policy researcher and co-author of the report.

The RAND survey found that supportive school environments — in which teachers are involved in decision-making and have positive relationships with their colleagues — lead to better well-being and a decreased likelihood of leaving the profession.

“They still love their jobs, want to be there for their students … love teaching, love leading schools,” Steiner said. “For many of them, it’s the context that they are teaching in, not teaching itself, that they find to be stressful and difficult.”

Cindy Deutsch retired this spring after teaching kindergarten for 37 years in Wichita. Early in her career, she had lots of flexibility and independence in the classroom, she said. Not now.

“We’re micromanaged a lot, where we’re told exactly what we’re supposed to be teaching, when we’re supposed to be teaching it,” she said.

A major frustration was an intense focus on testing even the youngest students, Deutsch said. When she started teaching, there were four categories to mark on kids’ report cards for reading and writing. Last year, there were more than 20.

At times, she said, she felt like she was testing more than teaching:
“We weigh the cow and we weigh the cow, but we don’t have time to feed the cow because we’re weighing the cow so much.”

Jarred Fuhrman struggled over his decision to leave his job as principal of Basehor-Linwood High School, but he finally decided in May to try something new. Fuhrman accepted a position in human resources for a Kansas City-area company.

“For me, it was a family decision,” said Fuhrman, who has two school-age children. “Being a high school principal is one of the more challenging positions in education.”

Fuhrman said there were days he’d get to school at 7 a.m. and not leave until after 10 p.m.

“It just wears on you. It’s just exhausting,” he said. “I was just tired.”

“The last couple years have been pretty hard with COVID and just all the different changes that schools have been going through,” he said. “I do worry about the teacher shortage. I think it’s going to be a little scary the next couple of years, and I don’t know that I have a good answer for that.”

Steiner, the RAND researcher, said a majority of teachers and principals intend to stay in their jobs and are leaning on each other to cope with job-related stress.

“They turn to their friends and colleagues to vent, to seek solutions, or sometimes just to hang out,” she said.

Steiner said school leaders should ask teachers what contributes to their stress and try to fix those problems.

“If there’s anything district and school leaders can do to address the things that teachers find difficult about their job,” she said, “it could help improve educators’ mental health.”

Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.

See more at https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-07-05/burned-out-as-more-educators-leave-kansas-faces-its-worst-ever-teacher-shortage