Earlier this summer, the Post asked our readers what issues you wanted to hear candidates in contested races address leading up to the Aug. 4 primary election.
Based on that feedback, we developed a five-item questionnaire centering the issues most important to residents across Johnson County.
Each day this week, we’ll publish the candidates’ responses to one question.
Today, we’re publishing candidates’ responses to the following question:
Many readers don’t know much about what the Secretary of State does, beyond knowing they administer elections in the state. What will be your top three priorities if elected?
For Secretary of State, there is a primary just for Democratic voters. Below are the answers the Post received from candidates on the issue:
Jennifer Day
If elected, my top priorities will center on the two core responsibilities of the Secretary of State’s office, serving Kansas voters and serving Kansas businesses.
One of my biggest priorities is increasing voter education and confidence in our elections. I want to promote civic engagement among Kansans of all ages by helping people better understand how our elections work, from registering to vote to casting and counting ballots. The more people understand the process and the safeguards that protect it, the more confidence they can have in our elections. This office should be a trusted source of accurate, accessible information that helps every eligible Kansan participate with confidence.
I also want to continue protecting secure, accessible, and trustworthy elections. I will work with the Legislature, county clerks, and election officials across Kansas to ensure our election laws protect the rights of voters while maintaining the integrity of our elections. That means supporting our local election officials, strengthening transparency, and ensuring the Secretary of State’s office always puts facts, service, and the needs of Kansans ahead of politics.
Finally, I want to strengthen the services the office provides to Kansas businesses. Many people don’t realize the Secretary of State also serves as Kansas’s chief business registrar. I would look for opportunities to make filing processes easier to understand, improve online services, reduce unnecessary barriers, and provide responsive customer service.
Samuel Lane
People in Johnson County don’t feel this much, but most of Kansas feels ignored. I intend to use my first year in office visiting the election office of every single county, all 105 of them. Mainly this is so I can personally understand what every part of the state really needs from my office, but there are several secondary objectives.
a. I’m an outsider to politics. Doing this will rapidly catch me up to the level of knowledge of the job a political insider would have.
b. I can see for myself if there’s any weight to all these claims of mass voter fraud. Taking both sides seriously, the Left’s voter suppression and the Right’s voter fraud, might be the only path to reconciling the deep partisan divide in this country.
c. I can meet with owners of polling sites, and maybe avert future poll site closures that would burden voters.
Coming up:
Tomorrow we will publish the candidates’ responses to the following question:
This is a partisan race for a job that must be run fairly for all. How would you assure voters of both parties of your impartiality, including, if the August judicial selection amendment passes, administering new statewide judicial elections cleanly?
