Election 2007

Turning a state as red as Kansas into a prairie land of blue is a long-term effort, one that began last summer when Chairman Howard Dean invested an unpreceden ted amount of money and resources in our state. With help from great field organizers like Lindsay Gentry, we have been able to register and mobilize voters like never before. We saw the results of this on November 7, 2006, with Democratic victories across Sedgwick County. Together, we are building the grassroots of our party neighbor by neighbor, one voter at a time. We are also building a Democratic majority by winning one race and one office at a time.

The city and municipal elections in early 2007 will be the next opportunity to elect a wave of Democrats. These elections are non-partisan, which means no party affiliation will be listed on the ballot. However, it is not uncommon for partisans from both parties to be involved in these contests.

In Wichita, the office of Mayor and three seats on the city council will be up for election, as well as three seats on the USD 259 school board. Currently, right wing Republicans hold all of these offices. Other cities and townships in Sedgwick County, including Derby, Clearwater, Goddard, Haysville, and Valley Center, will hold elections for similar municipal level offices. We must work hard to elect Democrats to as many of these positions as possible!

Candidates for local office run in both a primary and a general election. Because the elections are non-partisan, everyone votes in the same primary on Tuesday, February 27. The top two vote getters advance to the general election on Tuesday, April 3. If only two candidates filed for one office, that office will only be voted on during the general election. This is the case in two of the four Wichita School Board races, where District 1 and District 4 have no primary. Everyone in Wichita gets to vote in the At-Large District race during the primary and in Dist. 3 (where fellow Democrat Barb Fuller is a candidate), only voters in that district get to vote for the candidates in the primary, however, all Wichita voters will vote for all USD 259 School Board seats in the general election.

The Governors, Senators, and Congressmembers of tomorrow are the State Legislators, City Council members, and County Commissioners of today. Assistant House Minority Leader Jim Ward, one of our Wichita Democratic legislators, is a former city council member. Prior to his election to Congress in 1976, Dan Glickman held a seat on the Wichita school board. Long before she was Governor, Kathleen Sebelius began her political career as a State Representative. The Republican Party has dominated the political landscape at all levels of government because they were effective at building a farm team of candidates at the lowest levels of government who were later able to mount successful campaigns for higher office. As Democrats, we must do the same!

Information About Voting

Below you will find a calendar for voting in both the primary and the general election. We encourage you to cast your vote by advance ballot—it’s quick, easy, and verifiable. For an advance ballot application, click here.

Important Primary Election Dates:

Feb. 7- Election office begins mailing advance ballots
Feb. 12- Last day to register to vote for the Primary Election
Feb. 14– Advance voting in person begins at the Election office
Feb. 21– Last day for Election office to mail advance ballot applications
Feb. 22—Advance voting in person begins at advance vote centers at 12:00 noon
Feb. 23- Last day for election office to mail advance ballots
Feb. 24- Advance voting in person at advance vote centers ends at 4:00 p.m.
Feb. 25– Advance voting in person ends at the Election office at 12:00 noon
Feb. 27– Primary Election Day - Polls open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Advance ballots must be in the election office by 7:00 p.m.

Important General Election Dates:

Mar. 14- Election office begins mailing advance ballots
Mar. 19- Last day to register to vote for the Primary Election
Mar. 21– Advance voting in person begins at the Election office
Mar. 28– Last day for Election office to mail advance ballot applications
Mar. 29—Advance voting in person begins at advance vote centers at 12:00 noon
Mar. 30- Last day for election office to mail advance ballots
Mar. 31- Advance voting in person at advance vote centers ends at 4:00 p.m.
Apr. 2– Advance voting in person ends at the Election office at 12:00 noon
Apr. 3– General Election Day - Polls open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Advance ballots must be in the election office by 7:00 p.m.

Democrats on the Ballot

Local elections are non-partisan, meaning that no party affiliation is listed on the ballot. However, most of the candidates are registered as either Democrats or Republicans. Below is a list of registered Democrats running for office in Sedgwick County. Not every office has a Democrat running for it (and some don’t have Republicans). While not an endorsement list, we do encourage Democrat to vote for Democrats in these elections.

For a complete list of ALL candidates running, click here.

Wichita Mayor
Carl Brewer
Wichita City Council, Dist. 2
Elizabeth Bishop
USD 259 Wichita School Board, Dist.1
Betty Arnold
Annie Work
USD 259 Wichita School Board, Dist. 3
Barbara Fuller
USD 259 Wichita School Board, At-Large
Kevass Harding
Bel Aire Mayor
Gary O’Neal
Bently City Council
Walter (Salt) Fowler, Jr.
Clearwater Mayor
Michael A. Justice
Clearwater City Council
Judith Armstrong
Jim Whitney
USD 267 Colwich School Board
Kenneth R. Spexarth
USD 264 Clearwater School Board
Tood Widler
Roger Frischenmeyer
Lantz Forsythe
USD 268 Cheney School Board
Rosco F. Sanborn
Derby City Council, Ward 4
Kenneth D. Hampton
USD 260 Derby School Board
Diane Pearce
John D. Roberts
Sue Robinson
Eastborough City Council
Rhonda Hayes
Goddard Mayor
Marcey Gregory
Goddard City Council
Lawrence Luthi
USD 265 Goddard School Board
Janice L. Dennis
Haysville City Council, Ward 4
Kenneth Hampton
USD 261 Haysville School Board
Glenn Crum
Susan Walston
Kechi City Council
Jeannie L. Moore
Maize City Council
Ray Herndon
USD 266 Maize School Board
Kent Voth
Mount Hope City Council
Dana Chaffin
Park City City Council, Ward 1
Brandon Decker
Park City City Council, Ward 3
Geroge Capps
Valley Center City Council, Ward 1
Louis Cicirello
Valley Center City Council, Ward 4
Jacque Davis
Wanda F (Switzer) Haskin
Jack Townsley
Viola City Council
Ginger Simon
Everett L. Donham
Timothy Taton