To the editor:

Earlier this month the Kansas City Star reported a new poll has Rep. Roger Marshall and Kris Kobach nearly deadlocked in the Republican Senate race. But the most interesting thing the article reported is how the polling firm went about weighting the raw data it collected for the poll.

“The data was weighted to reflect the anticipated demographic makeup of the GOP primary electorate, including the firm’s assumption that 45% of voters will be 65 or older.”

It may not be surprising to learn the Republican Party is dominated by old people, though a Google search has people 65 and older accounting for only about 15% of the U.S. population. But, can we justify a 15-pound rock making a 45-pound splash in Republican political waters?

What are the statistics on campaign contributions? Bar graphs show striking parallels between age and income. Thirty-two percent of seniors make political campaign contributions, and an exactly equal 32% of people with incomes greater than $150,000 make campaign contributions.

If you think political control by the wealthy is a good thing, then you might be more a fan of plutocracy than democracy. If so, this does not present a problem. But if you think our voices should be heard equally but can’t afford to spend much money, or don’t think boomers should be quite as well heard as we seem to be, the Constitutions of Kansas and the United States both provide an obvious solution.

First, go out and register to vote. Then vote. Every time.

William Skepnek,

Lawrence