Tag: Kansas

Kansas Secretary of State candidates debate election fraud, gerrymandering

Days before the November election, candidates talk about ballot security in TV debate

Candidates Scott Schwab and Jeanna Repass discussed gerrymandering and 2021 voting legislation during a debate Tuesday at KTWU studios at Washburn University in Topeka. (Photo by Rachel Mipro, Kansas Reflector)

by Rachel Mipro, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — Bucking national trends, the Democratic candidate running for Kansas secretary of state said election deniers need to be listened to while the Republican incumbent candidate quashed theories of voter fraud in the Kansas electoral system.

Democratic candidate Jeanna Repass, an Overland Park resident, is running against incumbent Secretary of State Scott Schwab. Repass said her goal is to restore public confidence in the state’s electoral process and increase voting accessibility for Kansans.

During a debate sponsored by Washburn University and broadcast by KTWU on Tuesday in Topeka, Repass said Kansans who doubted the electoral system need to have their concerns heard.

“There are people who don’t believe in our process, whether they saw a YouTube video or whether they read something online,” Repass said. “It is our responsibility to re-instill that in them. And dismissing them, being flippant about them, that is not going to get us where we need to go.”

Schwab said people who still believe in widespread Kansas election fraud need to be ignored.

“There’s a handful of people who still think the world’s flat too,” Schwab said. “You have to move on to the people who want the truth and not the people who, you solve their one lie, look to the next lie because they care more about believing a lie than learning the truth.”

Election security

The Secretary of State is the state’s top elections officer and has a lot of influence over voting access. Schwab has repeatedly declared Kansas elections safe and secure, bucking national and local trends of Republicans casting doubt over ballot accuracy.

Schwab has stayed strong on this stance, including in 2020, when several high-ranking Kansas Republicans supported former President Donald Trump’s claims of election fraud.

“At the end of the day, it’s easy to vote in Kansas and it’s hard to cheat,” Schwab said.

Repass said she believed Kansas elections were secure but that many Kansans didn’t share her belief.

“If you look at those processes, there were several protocols where we missed a step,” Repass said. “I don’t believe it changed the outcome of a single election, and that’s why the elections were certified and that’s why we stand by those. The fact of the matter is, until we get more of our electorate who believe our elections are free and safe and fair, we’ve got a problem.”

When asked which protocols she thinks were skipped, Repass said the chain of custody protocol wasn’t followed in some places, with ballots being moved improperly.

“I am saying, let’s take the oxygen out of those arguments. Let’s follow the protocols we have in place, and let’s listen to people,” Repass said.

Both candidates said they were against voter intimidation and believed drop boxes were a safe form of ballot delivery.

Voting rights

Repass said she supports making Election Day a holiday to make it easier for Kansans to cast their ballots. Schwab said his office had worked diligently to make voting easier for Kansans through early voting, but he didn’t think a holiday was necessary.

Both candidates are against same-day voter registration. Schwab said the current system is already effective and that same-day registration would create unnecessary complications. Repass said the system needed to be fixed before new elements were added, saying voter disenfranchisement and distrust should be addressed first.

Candidates were asked about House Bill 2183, voting legislation passed in 2021. The bill made it illegal for one person to deliver more than 10 advance voting ballots on behalf of other voters.

The bill makes handling a voter’s ballot a misdemeanor crime for people who aren’t election officials, unless it’s on behalf of a family member, and prohibits people from delivering advance voting ballots on behalf of other people without a signed written statement. The legislation has been criticized by voting rights groups for being unnecessarily restrictive.

Repass said she would use the secretary of state position to ask lawmakers to reconsider the ballot limitations, saying she had heard from voters hindered by the requirements.

Schwab sidestepped the question, saying the legislation was up to policymakers.

“It’s the process,” Schwab said.

Redistricting

Repass said she would support an independent nonpartisan redistricting committee if voters felt the need for it.

The Kansas Legislature redrew congressional and state legislative maps in early 2022, as part of the redistricting process that occurs every 10 years. The new congressional map moved the diverse northern part of Wyandotte County out of the 3rd District into the 2nd District, and took Democrat-leaning Lawrence out of the 3rd District, placing it into the heavily conservative 1st District.

Democrats and voting-rights groups objected to the new maps, saying the maps were drawn in an attempt to disenfranchise voters of color and lessen Democratic influence.

The Kansas Supreme Court affirmed the legality of new congressional and legislative district maps after Wyandotte County District Court Judge Bill Klapper found the congressional map to be unconstitutional. Klapper acted in response to three lawsuits challenging the congressional map on grounds of partisan and racial gerrymandering.

Schwab said the new maps were drawn with population size in mind.

“You were either going to split Wyandotte or were going to split Johnson County. It was unconstitutional for those two because the populations were just too great,” Schwab said.

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/2022/11/02/kansas-secretary-of-state-candidates-debate-election-fraud-gerrymandering/

Kansas AG candidates Kris Kobach, Chris Mann make pitch to voters in TV debate

by Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector

Republican Kris Kobach and Democrat Chris Mann made their end-of-campaign pitch Tuesday night for voters trying to determine who should be the state’s next attorney general.

The candidates offered diverging views on crime, consumer fraud, abortion laws, federal powers, marijuana, judicial selection and guns in a debate presented by the Washburn University political science department and televised on KTWU.

Moderator Nick Haines billed the matchup as “one of the most-watched attorney general races in the country.” Kobach and Mann appear locked in a virtual tie with advanced voting underway and less than two weeks remaining before the Nov. 8 finish line.

The candidates outlined their vision for how they would lead the state’s top law enforcement agency.

Kobach touted his experience in politics and leadership for eight years as the Kansas secretary of state. He said Kansas needs someone to defend state laws against the American Civil Liberties Union and defend constitutional rights from President Joe Biden’s administration.

“For example, if Joe Biden attempts to stop the drilling for oil in Kansas, based on bogus reasons, like prairie chicken populations, I will sue to stop him,” Kobach said. “My opponent, who contributed to Biden, will do nothing.”

Because Mann doesn’t have a record, Kobach said, Kansans don’t know where he really stands on issues or if he will keep his promises.

“I do have a record,” Kobach said. “And one thing that Republicans and Democrats agree about on me is that I do exactly what I say I’m going to do.”

Mann said Kobach won’t hesitate to follow through on a promise to slowly and quietly strip away constitutional protections for reproductive health care.

A former police officer and prosecutor, Mann emphasized his public service record. Mann said while he was busy arresting criminals or putting them away, Kobach was busy running for office.

“My entire life, I’ve done the hard work of keeping Kansans safe,” Mann said. “This is Kris Kobach’s eighth race for his seventh choice of office. This is my first choice for office after a career in public service.”

Mann attacked Kobach for his involvement with We Build the Wall. The organization solicited funds to build a wall along the Mexico border — and became the subject of a federal fraud investigation for how the money was used.

“I held the hands of victims who lost their life savings to scam artists and then prosecuted those scam artists for crimes like fraud and money laundering,” Mann said. “Kris Kobach? He served as lead attorney and board member for an organization indicted for those very same crimes. While I protected Kansans from fraud, he led an organization that was committing it.”

Kobach said he opposes “red flag laws,” which allow courts to grant police permission to confiscate guns from people they believe are dangerous.

Kobach also said he would oppose a ban on assault weapons, such as AR-style rifles.

“I believe that Americans have a right to protect themselves in the home, and to protect themselves when walking across that dark parking lot at night,” Kobach said. “And one of the ways for home defense that is proven effective and is very common … is the AR platform rifle. It is very effective for someone who is smaller stature or a woman to use in defending herself in that life-threatening situation.”

Mann said he is a gun-owning supporter of the Second Amendment. As a former police officer, Mann said, he understands the need to keep communities safe. Violent offenders should not have access to guns, Mann said.

He also said there is a need for more gun safety — and referenced the theft of Kobach’s guns in 2020 from a hotel parking lot in Wichita.

“My opponent could use some of those courses himself,” Mann said. “He left guns unsecured in his car in Wichita. They were stolen and could be in the hands of violent criminals right now.”

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/2022/10/26/kansas-ag-candidates-kris-kobach-chris-mann-make-pitch-to-voters-in-tv-debate/

Statewide virtual job fair offered today

The KansasWorks Virtual Job Fair takes place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19. The virtual fair will focus on all state agency job openings.

“KansasWorks is hard at work every day connecting Kansans with employers looking to hire, and I’m pleased they are focusing on opportunities with state agencies,” Gov. Laura Kelly said. “This job fair provides Kansans the opportunity to work in meaningful and good-paying jobs with great benefits, allowing them to provide a prosperous future for their families.”

The state’s 98 government agencies have approximately 900 full-time, part-time and internship opportunities available across the state. Kansas has conducted 17 virtual job fairs since the beginning of 2020, showcasing jobs from hundreds of employers across the state. More than 1,500 people have participated in the state’s job fair events this year.

“Recruiting top talent to state agencies is a high priority for the Kelly Administration,” Lt. Gov. and Commerce Secretary David Toland said. “We need dynamic and visionary individuals to join our team and help provide critical services to Kansans across the state.”

The online job fairs allow those looking for work to fill out applications, chat live and interview virtually with participating agencies. To participate in the virtual job fair, regardless of previous participation, registration is required. Register at https://app.premiervirtual.com/events/f5b47c20-6d1a-4035-9fd5-ae1bbcd2b3e5/state-of-kansas-agencies-government-jobs-virtual-job-fair-october-19th.

Candidates will be able to participate via any digital device, including a computer, tablet or mobile phone.