ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
This election season is preparing to be a busy one in Kansas, and with that in mind, the state’s major political parties are keeping busy.
“The Kansas Republican Party has been registering new voters for more than a year. We have employed many methods, including email, text, and phone calls, to mobilize our base,” Kansas Republican Party Chair Mike Brown said. “Voter registration drives at various events such as gun shows and other hunting-related events have also been occurring since mid-2023.”
“We have been reliant really on two things so far, with the first one being social media. We've been active on our Twitter and Instagram and Facebook pages to get mass information out, and we've also got information on our party's Web site,” Kansas Democratic Party Chair Jeanna Repass said. “We've also got a lot of word of mouth going to make sure our county party chairs are aware of what's going on and that they're getting that information out. We don't really do a lot of mailings – there are some organizations that do that, but we've been using a lot of our broad reach through social media and our Web site.”
Repass and Brown agreed this election cycle has been rather unique.
“We're going to continue being active on our social media pages, and we'll also be working with various partners that are dedicated to getting out the vote. We have a coordinated campaign across the state for several state offices – in 2022, our efforts were dedicated to the governor's office, secretary of state, treasurer and those offices, and we also had a U.S. senator and attorney general,” Repass said. “This time around, our top of the ticket really is centered on the legislative offices, our state board of education, and some county seats for sheriff and district attorney and offices like that. We're really relying on that coordinated campaign to get people energized and take that messaging to the people by canvassing and talking to people. We're also doing that, to a lesser extent, with the presidential election, and there is some work we do with the Democratic National Convention. And the presidential race is important, but our main focus is on the more local and state offices – I always tell people 'We have to control what we CAN control,' and we can be more focused with those more local races.”
“This specific cycle presents a unique opportunity with so many who have been uninterested or unwilling to engage in regular voting, and those who have never voted before, and via email and text, the Kansas GOP remains in constant contact with our voters,” Brown said. “Via our weekly Friday email communication, we continue to encourage people to make a plan to vote, create and execute a viable Plan B option if Plan A doesn’t work, and for each person to recruit 10 others to do the same.”
Both party chairs also agreed this election cycle has increased the overall workload.
“During a presidential election cycle, things are always busier and this cycle is no different,” Brown said. “It is of course hectic, but that was anticipated. Republicans across Kansas, led by the Kansas Republican Party, are hard at work for this election cycle.”
“The best way I can describe our workload for this year is it's been almost like drinking straight from the firehose or fire hydrant, because there has been A LOT or work going on,” Repass said with a chuckle. “The last presidential election cycle was in 2020 and in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, so there wasn't an in-person convention, meaning the Democrats have not actually met in person since 2016. There has definitely been some unease among the Democratic Party the past few weeks, which seems to be evening out, and the news of the current presumptive Democratic nominee has had more of an impact than I think any of us really expected. We knew we would be taking a delegation and would have to elect delegates and do all of that work at the local and state levels, and then we had to get them all certified, which is quite the process in itself. There's a lot more work that needs to be done as far as the primaries and then the convention and then the election itself, so there's been MANY levels of busyness – all important, but still a lot to work with.”
Repass and Brown also offered encouragement for voters to do research into the candidates before heading to the polls.
“Who gets elected as president matters on so many levels, nationally and globally and beyond, because you're not electing JUST the president, you're electing an entire administration, and the people who are part of that can cause major ripple effects,” Repass said. “We have primaries going on for Congress and for state representatives, and whoever ultimately gets elected has a stake in how federal dollars are allocated back to the state, so those local elections are ones people throughout the state should really pay attention to this time around. The state board of education is also critical, there are five seats on that board, and they're the ones who pick the curriculum and everything else involved in public education.”
“Voters should always do their own research. Satisfying the voters' questions through research is the only sure way to know that when you cast your vote, it is for a candidate who aligns with your wishes or ideology,” Brown said. “There is no substitute for doing your own research.”
Along with actually getting out to the polls to vote, Brown and Repass also offered encouragement for citizens to volunteer to be poll workers.
“It sounds rather cliché, but very vote counts, so make sure yours is among them! There are no magic words to make people go out to the polls, but I must emphasize voting is very, very important,” Brown said. “History has many stories of candidates losing their races by only a handful of votes, so it's very important for people to exercise that right. Contact your county clerk or county election commissioner to find out how to become a poll-worker in your community, and they will be happy to guide you with all of that. We want to work with these folks to advance safe, secure and fair elections – nothing more, and nothing less.”
“Vote as though your values depend on it. Vote like your future depends on it, because it truly does at all levels,” Repass said. “If voting is our voice in how we run our democracy, without poll workers, none of that matters. Whether you're a Democrat or Republican or whatever party you're affiliated with, if you're volunteering to be a poll worker, you're a super, super important person in our democracy. I know it can be hard and feel scary, but we need people, and if you want to help, go ahead and volunteer, because it's so, so important.”
Overall, both party chairs agreed, they will remain plenty busy through the rest of the year.
“We are truly committed to taking this information to people and canvassing directly with people. We've got a good focus on our more local and state elections, and I'm looking forward to seeing how everything ultimately ends up,” Repass said. “No matter what party you're affiliated with, research the candidates and their values and how they've voted in the past (if they're an incumbent) and see if their vote would truly reflect your voice and values. We want to empower everyone to get out to the polls and have as much information as possible in order to make an informed decision when they go to the polls.”
