It’s election season, Shawnee Mission, and there are several Kansas House of Representative candidates vying for seats in area districts.
Last month, we asked Post readers what they wanted to hear candidates discuss before marking their ballots. With that input, we developed a five-item questionnaire for candidates running for seats in the Kansas House of Representatives.
We’ll be publishing candidate responses to one question each day this week. Today, we’re publishing candidates’ responses to item #1:
The top issue with our readers was the candidates’ stance on election integrity. There has been no evidence of widespread voter fraud and dozens of lawsuits challenging the 2020 election results have been dismissed for lack of evidence. Do you believe former President Donald Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was “stolen” from him? Are you confident in the integrity of our election system in Kansas?
District 17
Emily Carpenter (Republican)
No, I do not believe the election was stolen and generally believe talk from either side about stolen elections isn’t helpful. I do believe that our elections in Kansas are secure.
Jo Ella Hoye (incumbent Democrat)
The 2020 election was fair. It was not stolen. Joe Biden is our President. Any attempt to hinder voting rights is a barrier to democracy. The Kansas Legislature must stop passing laws that burden voters. We have strong election integrity in Kansas, and I am excited to head to the polls to cast my ballot. I pledge to be resolute in protecting our democracy. Voting matters, and our voices must be heard.
Michael Kerner (Libertarian)
I harbor great suspicion about the validity of the 2020 election results. All the cases you mention were dismissed on standing or other procedural grounds,
without looking at any evidence, thus they prove nothing. Mail in voting
cannot be secured so I believe our current system of ‘no excuse” mail ballots should be discontinued. Mail in voting should only be available for disabled persons. I favor only in-person voting with ID. This can be advance or on election day. Also, the means of voting must allow for a real recount, not just looking at a computer’s memory again. If this means paper ballots, so be it. Election workers that block access to counting activity by appointed poll
watchers, should be criminally charged.
District 18
Cathy Gordon (Republican)
Many of the concerns regarding election integrity have been investigated and changes made to improve our process. We all are aware there were legitimate concerns of ballot misuse, my daughter received 3 ballots in the mail in Nevada in error. We received a ballot for our military son here in KS, serving overseas in error. Now in 2022, more concerns arise with electronic voting and a flash drive flipping votes in Cherokee County. Recent CEO of MI tech company Konnech was arrested on suspicion of stealing data from hundreds of poll workers and it appears JOCO uses the same company for data also. Our privacy is at risk. It is the right action to take to investigate when issues like these present themselves. I believe that our Secretary of State is investigating these claims and solutions will be identified in the future.
Cindy Neighbor (incumbent Democrat)
I believe that the election from 2020 was NOT stolen, and the people voted based on their beliefs and doing their research. Several recounts were done in various states that did not disprove the election results. They did not show mass fraud and cost several states millions of dollars. Making false claims and causing fear for individuals in our democratic voting process does a disservice to all Americans and our country.
I believe the Secretary of State, Scott Schwab, ran a very honest and professional election with the safeguards necessary to ensure all voter’s votes were secure and counted. No evidence of fraud was found and recounts that were requested were done with integrity with no change in the outcomes. I believe our County Election Commissioners and poll volunteers should be commended for their hours of work to make our elections safe. For them to be threatened speaks poorly of some individuals who should know better. Kansas elections are safe and sound and are done with great integrity by all those working for the election system.
District 19
Stephanie Clayton (incumbent Democrat)
President Biden was duly elected. I was pleased to see that former president Trump was subpoenaed by the January 6th Committee, and hope that he will be brought to justice. Our nation needs to heal from the terrible events of that day, and the only way we can do so is by prosecuting insurrectionists to the full extent of the law.
I stand in full support of our Johnson County Election Commissioner and our Secretary of State. Both men have over a decade of experience in their fields, and are strong sticklers for the rules (I had the pleasure of serving with the Secretary of State when he was a legislator, and can attest to his strong sense of right and wrong). I have major concerns about the Johnson County Sheriff’s efforts to undermine our elections, and will continue to vote to keep his actions in check.
Nick Reddell (Republican)
Did not respond.
District 22
Linsday Vaughn (incumbent Democrat)
Joe Biden is the duly elected President of the United States, and I am absolutely confident in the integrity of Kansas elections. President Biden defeated Donald Trump by nearly 7 million votes and topped him 306-232 in the Electoral College. There has been no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Any claims otherwise are based on disinformation. Attempts to discredit the security of our elections and violently overthrow their results are two of the greatest modern threats to our democracy. Accepting credible electoral outcomes and peacefully transferring power, regardless of party, are essential democratic norms in the United States. Without them, the very foundation of our republic–the right of voters to choose our elected representatives–is fundamentally undermined.
In Kansas, there is bi-partisan consensus that our elections are safe and secure. Notably, Secretary of State Scott Schwab and his office have repeatedly expressed confidence in the integrity of our elections. Since 2019, all 105 counties in Kansas have been required to do random, manual audits of their election results. These audits consistently demonstrate that all legitimate votes are accounted for with no signs of foul play.
Last fall I also took the time to get trained and work as a poll worker on Election Day. I was incredibly impressed by the thoroughness, expertise, and dedication of the Johnson County Election Office staff and their operations. Prior to Election Day we were required to go through a half-day training and complete a hands-on practice session. On Election Day we were also supported by an onsite supervising judge. In addition to being impressed by how our elections are run, I was inspired by the poll workers who help run them. These public servants dedicate hours, often year after year, to ensuring we can carry out our civic duty. They should be thanked for their dedication to our community and to democracy.
We should be proud of the quality of our elections in Johnson County and Kansas. I find it unfortunate that instead of debating issues that could positively benefit the lives of Kansans, we have to address disinformation being perpetuated by far-right media and interest groups. Not only do these claims have no basis in fact or reality, they have the ability to do real harm to our democracy. It’s important that we stand united against false claims of fraud and work together for the good of all Kansans.
Robert Colburn (Republican)
Did not respond.
District 30
Laura Williams (Republican)
President Joe Biden is the president of the United States. Kansas elections are ranked as some of the most secure in the nation. I am confident in the process here and appreciate the many election workers who diligently work to protect the integrity of the process.
Courtney Eiterich (Democrat)
Did not respond.
District 39
Vanessa Vaughn West (Democrat)
Election fraud is a false claim made by former President Donald Trump that voters should not believe. Despite being challenged in court with actual burdens of proof, his claims of voter fraud remain unfounded. In reality, such claims are myths and manipulations. They are thinly veiled attempts to score political points through rumors and innuendo. Costly and unnecessary recounts, including those that took place nationwide after Trump’s allegations as well as those that took place in Kansas after Amendment 2 was voted down by a two-thirds majority of voters, waste taxpayer money and undermine our democracy. It’s time to move forward from these unfounded accusations if we want to make wise decisions and be fiscally responsible stewards of our state’s resources.
It is difficult to even imagine how widespread voter fraud can occur with the training, retraining, documentation, double/triple checking of data, electronic data security and locked serially numbered tamper tape on voting machines which all exist as a multi-level approach to ensure safe and secure elections. For widespread voter fraud to be possible, there would have to be corruption at all levels, from precincts to state governments and the private sector. This is simply not the case.
In recent years, The Voting Rights Act has been severely curtailed. Therefore, we need to be aware of the potential harms of politically influenced gerrymandering and other attempts to limit voter participation. Voters should be vigilant in their commitment to having their voice heard by getting to the polls through early voting, absentee voting, and in-person voting on Election Day.
Owen Donohoe (incumbent Republican)
Did not respond.
District 117
Courtney Tripp (Democrat)
I am absolutely confident in the security, safety and validity of our election system, and I am thankful for the public servants, poll watchers and volunteers who work to uphold that system. Our safe and secure elections are the very foundation of our democracy. It is terrible that a small yet vocal minority of people continue to question the election results without any evidence to stand on. These fraudulent claims and conspiracy theories undermine voter engagement and confidence in our democracy. And that is not okay.
President Biden is the duly elected president of the United States, and I absolutely do not believe former President Trump’s unfounded claims that the election was stolen. I do not believe them, because they are completely lacking in evidence. There have been numerous recounts that have confirmed the results. There is also a process in our courts for filing claims, and he has filed 62 claims and 61 of them have been rejected by the courts. The 2020 election, just like every election prior, was free and fair.
Here in Kansas, after the August 2 primary, there was an expansive and unnecessary hand recount that confirmed the vote and voice of the people. It’s notable that during this recount in Johnson County, the change in votes was equal to 0.0002% of the total ballots cast. This reaffirms the integrity of our election system here in Kansas.
Adam Turk (Republican)
Talk of stolen elections is unproductive, whether in regard to past elections Democrats have questioned or in 2020 by Trump. In my experience, our elections in Kansas are secure and I support the steps the legislature took to secure them further, such as ensuring rules don’t change in the middle of the game.
Tomorrow, we’ll publish candidates’ responses to item #2:
Inflation is currently at its highest level in four decades, sending prices for everything from food to gas to medicine sharply higher over the past several months. Can the state legislature do anything to address inflation here in Kansas? What policies should it enact?
