On Monday the Meadowlark published an article giving details about how the Kansas City Star publisher was registered to vote in both Missouri and Kansas. Several other Internet news outlets picked up this story, including the Election Journal, but some blogs confused “double registration” with “double voting.” (more…)
The Kansas City Star publisher is registered to vote in Kansas City, MO as Gregory M Zieman, along with with his wife, Rhonda Chriss Lokeman, also of the Star, in Kansas City Ward 8, Precinct 8.
The Star’s publisher is also registered to vote across the state line in Overland Park, KS as G. Mark Zieman (first name is “G. Mark” in the database) in precinct OP-5-4, at the same address as his daughter identified in an Aug 1997 Star article.
While there is no evidence that Zieman has ever voted in the same election in both states, Zieman’s case shows how poor voter records can be, and begs for the Star to promote voter registration reform. E-mails to Mark Zieman at the Star on June 2, 2008 and June 4, 2008 about his dual registration were never answered.
Reports have surfaced in Butler, Johnson, Sedgwick, and Shawnee Counties that some residents may not be registered to vote because of a flawed, paperless voter registration system at the Dept. of Motor Vehicles. One estimate from a reliable source is that perhaps 100 voters statewide are affected by this problem (so far). The problem only affects those who registered this year to vote through the DMV from Aug 25 through Oct 20. A new automatic transfer system started on Aug 25. (more…)
FOX 5 Wichita reported earlier this week that ACORN finds Kansas a tough nut to crack.
The ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) web site shows three Kansas offices, in Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita, but FOX 5 reports the Wichita office closed earlier this year. (more…)
Targeted and likely close state senate races are the battleground contests over control of the Kansas Senate. How is new voter registration used as a tactic to affect these contests?
This article looks at the new voter registration by political party from 2007 through early Sept 2008 for state senate races that are likely to be close. A PDF file shows the new voter profiles for each of the 40 State Senate districts.
Recent Meadowlark articles gave a breakdown of new voters statewide and by congressional district. This article looks at new voters from 2007 and through early Sept 2008 by county. Future articles will show this breakdown by state senate and state rep districts.
Graphics below show new voter profiles by political party for the largest four counties, Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee, and Wyandotte. A further breakdown by state rep or state senate districts may be informative in larger counties, but county trends likely reflect local party activities in smaller counties. A PDF file shows the new voter profiles for all 105 Kansas counties.
A recent Meadowlark article, More new Democrats than Republicans register to vote in Kansas in 2008, gave statewide totals for 2007 and 2008 through early Sept. This article analyzes differences in new voter registration by the four Kansas congressional districts in the same two years. Future articles will look at new voter registration by State Senate and State Rep districts.
[Updated] A look at new registered voters in Kansas in 2008 shows slightly more new Democrats have registered to vote statewide than new Republicans, but Republicans had the edge in 2007. However, there were more new unaffiliated (”independent”) voters than either Democrats or Republicans. The number of new Reform or Libertarian party voters statewide is almost negligible.
See the charts below showing the cumulative number of new voters in 2007 and 2008 in Kansas by week. (more…)
Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh (left) was quoted in the Kansas City Star yesterday that “we threw a party, and nobody came” about no voters showing up to vote at Fort Riley precincts in Tuesday’s primary election.
Geary County Clerk Rebecca Bossemeyer was quoted in the Topeka Capital-Journal that this “isn’t unusual in a primary election.”
“Out of 569 registered voters living at Fort Riley, none - zero - cast a ballot on the post Tuesday in Geary County, either by going to a polling place or by advance or absentee ballot.”
But there’s a bigger story here, about problems in Kansas’ voter registration records. (more…)
People in the Kansas City area can move across the state line and re-register to vote, and unknowingly become registered voters in both Kansas and Missouri. Such folks vote in their “new” state and are likely not even aware they are still registered in their “old” state. Legally, a voter cannot vote twice in both states, but it’s unclear whether such a voter accidentally registered in both states could vote in either their “old” state or their “new” state. And who would know if they did?
A prominent member of the Kansas City Star’s staff moved across the state line from Kansas to Missouri and re-registered to vote in Missouri, but is still an “active” registered voter in Kansas — more than 10 years later. (more…)