Candidate selector: Kansas Secretary of State / LJWorld.com

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2010 race for Kansas Secretary of State DEM

Candidate selector Kansas Secretary of State

Welcome to our candidate selector for Kansas Secretary of State. It's a fun and educational tool that can help you decide which candidate(s) you agree with the most.

Here's how it works. Below, we've listed a set of issues and the candidates' positions on these issues. Check the box next to a candidate's response if you agree with it. After you're done, we'll tell you which candidate(s) you agreed with the most.

Please note that this is meant to be fun and educational - but shouldn't necessarily be used as the de facto way of making such an important decision. We encourage you to learn as much as you can about each candidate.

If elected, what would be your top three priorities as Kansas secretary of state?

My first priority will be implementation of statewide voter identification program, including a coordinated statewide educational effort to make sure every voter and poll worker understands the requirements at the polls. Secondly, I will constantly seek ways to create efficiencies, reduce fees, and reduce paperwork burdens on Kansas small businesses. In addition to moving more forms online, I will also look for ways to reduce repetition and unnecessary data entry in forms currently required by the office. Finally, improving ballot access for our armed services members serving overseas. In the last legislative session a bill was passed through the legislature that would have allowed electronic transmission of certain documents to speed up the delivery time of advance ballots to our Armed Forces. I believe this bill should be passed again and signed by the governor.

The Secretary of State is responsible for providing fair elections. My first goal will be to ensure to that office is operated in a nonpartisan and customer friendly manner. My second goal is to increase voter participation and election security by updating our state’s voting technology so that all 105 counties use the same voting system, and that there is a secondary record of every vote cast. These steps will make our elections more secure. In addition to elections, the Secretary of State is also responsible for maintaining records and reports for business and other organizations operating in Kansas. My third goal is to work with the office’s customers, such as CPAs, bankers, attorneys, small business owners and everyday citizens to improve the Secretary of State’s website and online filing system to make business filings easier and more accessible.

As Secretary of State, my top priority has been to increase voter participation in elections. If given the opportunity to serve as Secretary of State, I will always put the public’s interest ahead of politics and will work to increase the accessibility of the office, protect Kansas consumers, and safeguard the rights of every eligible voter.

What will you do to improve voter turnout?

Civic engagement has a direct impact on voter turnout. Local elections have ridiculously low turnout, yet those are the elections that have a direct impact on our day-to-day lives and affect the communities where we live. These are the elections that decide whether we have a community swimming pool, or a sales tax increase for development, yet in some areas only ten percent of eligible voters show up to the polls. To improve turnout I volunteer with and support Kids Voting Kansas as a way to show our young people that voting is a civic duty that is important. I will also use the office as a platform to encourage young people to get involved in their community through civic organizations and volunteerism. The more Kansans get involved, the more likely we are to vote in elections.

We have a serious problem with voter apathy in the State of Kansas. As Secretary of State I would work to improve voter turnout through education. The Secretary of State’s Office strives to make voter registration simple and accessible to all eligible Kansas voters and encourages voters to participate in the electoral process by promoting advance voting.

Low voter turnout is the biggest problem in Kansas elections, not undocumented aliens or fraud. The Secretary of State’s office can increase voter participation by making voting easier and more accessible. Early voting laws in Kansas have already improved voter participation. 1) I will explore expanding early voting locations to banks, grocery stores and other locations voters frequently visit. 2) I will also encourage more polling locations to move into schools to help teach and inspire our future generations.

Do you favor requiring voters to show a voter identification card each time they visit the polls to cast a ballot?

To require voters to show a photo ID each time they go to the polls could have the practical effect of disenfranchising voters. Current law requires voters to show proof of identification when they register to vote or the first time that they vote. I believe this in an adequate safeguard to ensure the integrity and security of our elections.

No, but I believe that requiring a photo ID to vote will eventually become a reality in our nation. A photo ID is required to board a flight, drive a car, cash checks, or use a credit card. If the Legislature enacts a photo ID 7, then I will enforce it in the most voter-friendly way possible.

A state-issued driver license or non-driver identification card available at any DMV and many county treasurer's offices, yes. Non-driver identification cards, which currently require a fee, would need to be issued free of charge.

What are the challenges to bringing voting via the Internet to Kansas?

The current registration and identification process does not provide the necessary safeguards to implement online voting. The current system uses a hodgepodge of agencies and systems that are not currently reliable enough to move forward securely with online voting.

In an increasingly technological world, voting via the Internet has the potential to make voting easier and boost participation in elections. However, as the Chief Election Officer, the Secretary of State would need to work to ensure the security of the electoral process and maintain the public’s confidence in the system.

Voting over the Internet is a process that will require a balance between security and access. Our state now allows voter registration and requests for absentee ballots online through the Secretary of State’s office. Using the Internet to vote is certainly a possibility for the future, but it will be essential to make sure that the system used is 100% secure.

How would you further increase Kansans' accessibility to information kept by the secretary of state?

If elected as the next Secretary of State, one of my main goals is to make the office more accessible to Kansans. I will work to improve the Secretary of State’s website to make information kept by the office easier to access. I will also work to make the online filing system for businesses and other organizations more efficient, making business filings easier and more customer friendly.

Increasing the accessibility and transparency of the Secretary of State’s Office is one of my top priorities. As Secretary of State, I would work with my staff to make records available to the public online in a simple format and in an easy to find location.

Beyond making more information available online, it must also be presented in useful formats. Many items are presented as PDF files when they could just as easily be presented in a manipulable database format.

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