Virus Jolts Elections in Lawrence Kansas
This is one in a series written by a Lawrencian for the Ostholsteiner Anzeiger, a newspaper in Eutin, Germany, published on October 24, 2020. Read the published German version here.
By Bob Moody
German translation by Arne Scholz
Covid-19 has not only impacted the health and welfare of the residents of Douglas County, it has had its effect on the political scene. The United States has 2 major political parties, the Republican and Democrat parties. In broad general terms, Republicans are considered more conservative both fiscally and philosophically, and Democrats more liberal. Kansas is primarily known as a Republican state because it has the largest number of voters identifying as Republican as of July 1, 2020, 44.3% of all registered voters in Kansas. In comparison, the number of registered Kansas Democrats is 26.2% of all registered Kansas voters. However, surprisingly, the second largest block of voters in Kansas is those who have chosen not to affiliate with either party, 27.9% of all registered voters. It is important to note that unaffiliated voters cannot vote in a primary election unless they declare an affiliation, but can vote in the general election. Primary elections determine party candidates for the general election.
Douglas County, the governmental unit which contains Lawrence, has an inverse party correlation. Democrats are the larger party accounting for 44.4% of registered voters. They are followed by unaffiliated voters (28.9%) and Republican voters (26.5%).
Historically, the percentage of registered voters actually voting in the U.S. has been very low, but there is a note of changes as evidenced by a comparison of Douglas County voters in the 2016 and 2020 primary elections. Both elections were for local, state and national offices. The voter turnout for the 2016 election was 14.8% of all registered voters, as compared to the 38% casting ballots in the 2020 election. So what encouraged the significant increase in voters?
Several recent changes have made voting easier and more important for voters. Not the least of which is the pandemic. Numerous candidates are attempting to make the government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis an election issue. There is considerable debate as to whether or not the government has done all it can do, or conversely, too much to curtail the virus.
Additionally, in order to encourage voting during this time of personal distancing and concern about exposure, rules have changed to allow advance voting and mail-in voting. This is portrayed by a comparison of the voter classification for 2016 and 2020 primaries. The primary voting venue in 2016 was at the polling place. More than 85% of the 2016 voters traveled to the poll to cast their ballot, as compared to the 33% of polling place voters in 2020. Almost 65% of the ballots cast in the 2020 primary were done so with advance voting or mail-in ballots, as compared to the 14% in the 2016 primary.
Additionally, at least in Douglas County, a move from the traditional politician was noted with upsets in several local elections. Long-term incumbents were ousted by younger candidates, which indicate an increased awareness of issues by our youth. Some people have stated that primary election this year noted the change in generations of politics.
But perhaps, the biggest change in elections relates to campaigning. Mike Amyx, a 6-time Mayor of Lawrence and now an incumbent State Representative, said, “With the reluctance to go door-to-door and attending gatherings, most candidates have resorted to social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, and virtual meeting apps, such as Zoom.”
This is a stark departure from previous campaigns and presents multiple problems, especially in Lawrence. The advertising media in Lawrence has diminished as there is no longer a television station, and subscriptions to the daily newspaper, the Lawrence Journal World, has dropped. Radio is still an option, but limited in its appeal.
“This move to social media is more advantageous to younger candidates who are more versed in the protocols. It has become extremely difficult to get a candidate’s message to voters,” Amyx said.
Recently, however, some candidates have been opting to a hybrid form of campaigning, small meetings with voters where social distancing is implemented and even fewer candidates have been going door-to-door while wearing a mask. Some voters accept this, but many ask the candidate to leave.
Most experts are expecting record voter turnout for the general election November 4. We will be interested to see and, if so, what the results of that will be! But nearly everyone agrees that more voters casting their ballot is a very good thing!