Walk to the Poll Position

Today is the primary elections in Kansas. Since the 2020 election, I have moved (twice) from Lake Dabinawa and have wound up in East Lawrence. My new polling place is about a five-minute walk from the house. I got there around 6:45 and was first in line, and first to submit a ballot, when the polls opened at 7:00.

As usual, here are my picks. I post this of my own free will, no consideration has been offered or taken for publicly publishing these picks.

US Senate: Incumbent Jerry Moran faced a primary challenger this election cycle. I have previously contacted the entire Kansas Congressional delegation regarding passenger rail. Moran’s office was the most responsive and on-point to my letters. Will re-elect in a heartbeat.

Governor: Current Attorney General Dereck Schmidt is the current front runner to face off against Governor Laura Kelly in November.

Secretary of State: Despite a ruling against him regarding the public availability of reports related to provisional voting, incumbent Scott Schwab has generally kept his nose clean compared to his predecessor, Kris Kobach (more on him later). His opponent, Mike Brown, has positioned himself to the right of Schwab.

Attorney General: With Dereck Schmidt running for Governor, the AG slot drew three candidates. Kris Kobach decided to pursue the open spot. I’m surprised that his ability to be an attorney, much less AG, hasn’t been challenged. Kellie Warren has mostly been backed by the libertarian-minded Americans for Prosperity. My pick, Tony Mattivi, happens to have some relevant legal experience as a prosecutor in the US Attorney’s office for the District of Kansas.

State Treasurer: I’m slightly less informed about the two candidates to challenge incumbent Lynn Rogers this November. I picked Steven Johnson over Caryn Tyson.

Constitutional Amendment: Known as ‘Value them Both,’ this amendment is in direct response to a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court ruling that the State Constitution guarantees a right to abortion that is more extensive that that found under the recently overturned Roe v. Wade. The ‘yes’ coalition is running on an implication that the Kansas Court would overturn existing (currently) unchallenged regulations. The ‘no’ coalition is arguing that this would greenlight a total abortion ban. While I personally lean toward the anti-abortion camp, I certainly understand the position of those that support abortion rights. I feel that a total ban if the amendment passes is more likely than a court-mandated loosening if the amendment fails; therefore, to keep the status quo, I voted no.

Unopposed primaries: Lawrence was moved from the 2nd Congressional District to the 1st. Incumbent Tracey Mann is unopposed in the primary. Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt will also proceed directly to the general election. The Republicans failed to field a candidate for the 46th District, nor did anyone agree to represent the precinct before the KS GOP.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to take another walk… this time, with a minpin.