The
Kansas Office of the Secretary of State administers elections in Kansas and
they have done an excellent job at providing detailed but easily accessible
election information to the Kansas public. Much of their website is geared to
the concerned and curious voter and can be found here:
Kansas Office of the Secretary of
State
http://www.kssos.org/main.html
As an executive level state office, the
Secretary of State is nonpartisan, meaning voters who wish to find their
candidates’ positions on issues need to look elsewhere.
In
Kansas, voter registration is suspended 21 days before an election and resumes afterwards,
meaning those who have not yet registered in Kansas will have to sit out the
Nov. 6th election and then register to be eligible to vote in future
polls.
However,
on the day following the general election, November 7th, voter
registration will resume. County election offices usually make official voter
registration forms available at banks, schools, libraries, and government
offices. Forms are also online and can
be printed, filled out, and mailed to your county election office. Faxed and
electronically submitted forms are not accepted by the State of Kansas. Voter
registration forms are also available in Spanish.
Modern
society is mobile and many people are relatively new to their neighborhoods and
may not always be clear where they go to vote. The Secretary of State directs
voters to contact their County Election Officer who can then tell them where
their local polling station is. Information on how to contact your County
Election Officer can be found on the Secretary of State’s FAQ page:KSSOS FAQ Elections
http://www.kssos.org/resources/resources_faq_elections.html
Many of
us consider ourselves educated about our elected representatives at the federal
level, as well as concerned and opinionated about the direction of state public
policy. However it is not uncommon for even concerned citizens to be unsure of
who their district’s elected state officials are on an individual level until it
is time to vote. If this is the case, the following link may be helpful:
KU Institute for Policy & Social Research
http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/vote/For those who would like to learn more about the specifics of the election season calendar in Kansas, you can also find that at the Secretary of State’s website. Even if you are already prepared with your election plans, it makes for some interesting reading:
Article contact: Brian Herder