Sedgwick County Election Commissioner
Changes Precinct Boundary Lines
The boundary lines to voting precincts in Sedgwick County have
been recently re-drawn. Several precincts were combined or re-named
and the number of precincts has essentially been lowered, with
there now being a total of 258 precincts in this county. The new
boundary lines will be in effect for the 2006 election and beyond.
Only precinct boundaries have changed; the boundary lines of legislative,
city council, school board, and county commission districts remain
the same.
Most likely, the name of your precinct has changed. If you are
a current precinct committeeman or committeewoman, you may now
be sharing that position with someone else until after the August
primary. If you would like to know what your new precinct number
is, or if you are a committee person and would like to know about
boundary changes in your precinct, please call Democratic Headquarters
at 316-262-7534. You can also look this information up online
by visiting http://www.sedgwickcounty.org/elections . Maps of
precincts are available for viewing and downloading at http://gis.sedgwick.gov/pdfmaps/election/default.asp
. All voters will be mailed new voting cards with their new precinct
number and polling place early this spring.
Precinct Committee Filing Begins
Every two years, the State of Kansas requires Precinct Committee
Members to be elected on the Primary ballot. It is once again
time for all people interested in serving as committee members
to file their applications. Although the deadline for filing is
June 12th, we are encouraging Democrats to file early so we
can concentrate on filling vacant positions.
Precinct Committee Members are requested to attend the approximate
four Sedgwick County Democratic Central Committee Meetings annually.
They are the eyes and ears of their communities, working on behalf
of candidates in their area, and ensuring that the Democratic
vote in their precinct turns out on Election Day. Precinct Committee
Members are also voting member of the Central Committee, representing
all Democrats in their precinct. Without hard working Precinct
Committee Members, Democrats cannot win elections! The term is
two years– those elected in August 1, 2006 primary will
serve until August of 2008.
All incumbent Precinct Committee Members will soon be mailed
their filing application. Due to the recent changes in precinct
boundaries, there may now be more than one committeeman or committeewoman
per precinct. Only one will be elected in the August primary.
You will be notified if this is occurring in your precinct and
it will be up to you to determine what action you wish to take
in regard to running again or not. We encourage you to communicate
with the other precinct officers in your precinct about your decision.
Applications must be filled out and notarized.
Although we are not able to notarize applications at our office,
we will have a notary present at luncheons, meetings, and events.
Applications that are filled out and notarized can be mailed or
turned into Democratic HQ. It is very important that we fill every
Precinct Committee vacancy in this critical election year. If
you are interested in being a Precinct Committee Member, please
call Jason Dilts at 262-7534.
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Representatives
Ward and Menghini Take Lead on Bill to Help Small Businesses
and Employees |
 |
Proposal helps cut worker's compensation costs for Kansas
businesses while promoting safe working environments for Kansas
workers
Topeka —Assistant House Democratic Leader Jim Ward (Wichita,
District 88) and Representative Julie Menghini (Pittsburg, District
3) are pushing forward a bill this session to give insurance premium
breaks to employers who volunteer and follow the findings of a
workplace safety review.
This no-penalty review performed by the Department of Labor will
help businesses find out how they can improve their workplace
environment. Insurance companies would be required to provide
a discount on workers’ compensation premiums for businesses
following the review’s recommendations.
“Providing an incentive for businesses to improve workplace
safety will not only help employees, but also assist employers
with the increasing burden of insurance costs,” Representative
Ward said. “It just makes sense; safer working conditions
will lessen the number of worker’s comp claims and benefit
everyone involved.”
Increased workplace safety will help Kansas retain existing businesses
and jobs in addition to benefiting employers with the premium
discount. Last week, a Rubbermaid plant in Winfield was re-opened
and 200 employers were re-hired after the plant was slated to
be moved to another facility.
“But because of our high productivity and safety records,
they reversed that decision in December," said Michael Grant,
an engineering and technical services manager of the Winfield
plant (Topeka Capital-Journal, 1/12/2006)
House Bill 2202 was originally introduced during the 2005 Session
by Representative Ward. He and Representative Menghini have taken
the lead to reintroduce the proposal and push for its approval
during the 2006 Session.
A New Direction:
Hope in the Heartland
The following is a column by Governor Kathleen Sebelius:
Last week, I had the honor of delivering the State of the State
address, outlining where our state has been in the past few years
and a vision for where we can go.
Our state faced challenges in recent years, but because we chose
to face these challenges Kansas is smarter, safer, healthier and
more prosperous. We’re moving in a new direction and Kansans
now have more tools to make the most of their own lives.
We took action to encourage job creation, and because of the
countless achievements of individual employers, Kansas has experienced
21 straight months of job growth.
I want to continue to encourage the creation of good jobs by
eliminating the property tax on new business machinery and equipment.
We can also create a more prosperous state by building on the
recent investment in our children’s schools, and I’ve
been consulting with legislative leaders on how we make this happen.
But in addition to a great school, every Kansas child deserves
someone he or she can look up to. That’s why I’ve
launched Kansas Mentors. Former K-State coach Bill Snyder will
lead this effort to match caring adult role models with Kansas
kids.
Our children cannot take advantage of life’s opportunities
if they’re sick, however, which is why improving health
care remains a priority.
Tens of thousands of Kansas kids have received health coverage
in recent years, and I want to add to this number by providing
health coverage to every Kansas child from birth to age five.
I also believe we can take steps to improve the safety of our
children, and of all Kansans. We’ve seen fewer meth labs
since the Legislature passed the Sheriff Matt Samuels Act, which
puts cold pills behind the counter so meth makers can’t
get to them.
I now want to focus our attention on repeat sex offenders by
requiring them to wear electronic tracking devices which will
allow law enforcement officers to track their movements.
These are all common-sense steps which can help expand on the
unprecedented opportunities we have before us today. I pledge
to work every day to expand these opportunities for all Kansans,
and I encourage you to remain an active citizen by making your
voice heard as the Legislature considers these and other important
issues.
Domestic Spying
a Bipartisan Concern
Washington, DC - President Bush today began
a three-day public relations campaign aimed at selling his domestic
spying program to the American people with a speech at Kansas
State University. President Bush's new effort to convince the
American people that he did not break the law in authorizing the
government to spy on American citizens follows Deputy White House
Chief of Staff Karl Rove's comments last Friday criticizing Democrats
for asking questions about the program. Rove failed to mention
the growing chorus of criticism from within the Republican Party.
The following is a DNC Research document detailing the growing
chorus of Republicans and conservatives who have expressed concern
about the President's possibly illegal domestic spying program:
CONSERVATIVES QUESTIONING BUSH'S SPYING
PROGRAM
Senator Lindsey Graham: "If
he has the authority to go around the FISA court, which is a court
to accommodate the law of the war of terror, the FISA Act created
a court set up by the chief justice of the United States to allow
a rapid response to requests for surveillance activity in the
war on terror. I don't know of any legal basis to go around that.
There may be some, but I'm not aware of it. And here's the concern
I have. We can't become an outcome-based democracy. Even in a
time of war, you have to follow the process, because that's what
a democracy is all about: a process." [Face the Nation, 12/18/05]
Senator Chuck Hagel: "Americans
can be protected against terrorism without violating the law or
ignoring civil rights... No president is ever above the law. We
are a nation of laws and no president, majority leader or chief
justice or the Supreme Court can unilaterally or arbitrarily avoid
a law or dismiss a law. ... We need wiretaps ... but there's a
right way and a wrong way to do that." [Lincoln Journal-Star,
12/22/05]
Senator Larry Craig: "I'm
particularly concerned about the long-term effect of the line
we may be crossing. When we flipped the FISA over from just foreign
governments and known spies and blended it into a gray area of
the Patriot Act, we're now talking about somebody who we have
reason to believe is connected to a foreign government, but they
are a U.S. citizen." [AP, 12/24/05]
Senator Arlen Specter: "There
is no doubt that this is inappropriate," said Sen. Arlen
Specter, R-Pa., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He
said there would be hearings early next year and that they would
have "a very, very high priority." [AP, 12/17/05]
Senator Olympia Snowe: "Revelations
that the U.S. government has conducted domestic electronic surveillance
without express legal authority indeed warrants Congressional
examination. I believe the Congress - as a coequal branch of government
- must immediately and expeditiously review the use of this practice."
[Snowe Release, 12/21/05]
Senators Snowe, Hagel: "We
write to express our profound concern about recent revelations
that the United States Government may have engaged in domestic
electronic surveillance without appropriate legal authority. These
allegations, which the President, at least in part, confirmed
this weekend require immediate inquiry and action by the Senate."
[Senators' Letter to Judiciary Committee, 12/21/05]
Sen. Mike DeWine: "We clearly
have to take a look at this," DeWine said. "This is
part of our job in oversight. It's our responsibility." [Congressional
Quarterly Today, 12/20/05]
Senator John Sununu: Asked if the
NSA wiretapping was legal, Sununu said, "I don't know. It's
really difficult to say without having all the information in
front of you, and that could probably only be presented in some
sort of a classified briefing. I think it does underscore, though,
the importance of looking carefully at whether or not civil liberties
are being protected, whether it's work being done by the National
Security Administration, the NSA, or work done by law enforcement
under the Patriot Act. We want to make sure that there are appropriate
protections in place; that objections can be heard in front of
a judge; and that people have, you know, the right to appeal their
case if they think they've been prosecuted wrongly." Asked
if he agreed that the Iraq war resolution granted authority for
spying, Sununu said, "I don't believe that that resolution,
the use of force resolution, was carte blanche authorization for
any new and significant expansion of domestic spying or even intelligence
activity on the foreign front. I think that the authorization
for those powers would have to be in existing law, and I think
there were significant curtailments of different kinds of domestic
surveillance. So I don't believe that the use of force resolution
changed the status quo insofar as surveillance or civil liberties
is concerned." [NPR All Things Considered, 12/19/05]
Senator Lincoln Chafee: Asked about
the President's rationale that the Iraq war resolution gave him
power for NSA wiretapping, Chafee, supporting hearings into both
the constitutional questions of presidential power and the specifics
of how the NSA chose its targets, said, "The key word in
the resolution to my mind is 'appropriate,'" Chafee said.
[Congressional Quarterly Today, 12/20/05]
Senator John McCain: When McCain
was asked, "you do not believe that currently [the president]
has the legal authority to engage in these warrant-less wiretaps,"
McCain replied, "You know, I don't think so, but why not
come to Congress? We can sort this all out. ... I think they will
get that authority, whatever is reasonable and needed, and increased
abilities to monitor communications are clearly in order."
[McCain, FOX News, 1/22/06]
Representative C.L. "Butch"
Otter: "The Founders envisioned a nation where people's
privacy was respected and the government's business was open...
These actions turn that vision on its head. If the government
is willing to bend the rules on this issue, how are we supposed
to believe it won't abuse the powers granted by the Patriot Act?"
[AP, 12/23/05]
George Will: "On the assumption
that Congress or a court would have been cooperative in September
2001, and that the cooperation could have kept necessary actions
clearly lawful without conferring any benefit on the nation's
enemies, the president's decision to authorize NSA's surveillance
without the complicity of a court or Congress was a mistake. Perhaps
one caused by this administration's almost metabolic urge to keep
Congress unnecessarily distant and hence disgruntled." [Washington
Post, 12/20/05]
Norm Ornstein, American Enterprise Institute
(AEI): "I think if we're going to be intellectually
honest here, this really is the kind of thing that Alexander Hamilton
was referring to when impeachment was discussed." [Diane
Rehm Show, 12/19/05]
Grover Norquist, President of Americans
for Tax Reform: "Public hearings on this issue are
essential to addressing the serious concerns raised by alarming
revelations of NSA electronic eavesdropping." [U.S. Newswire,
1/17/06]
Former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr: "When
the Patriot Act was passed shortly after 9-11, the federal government
was granted expanded access to Americans' private information,"
said Barr. "However, federal law still clearly states that
intelligence agents must have a court order to conduct electronic
surveillance of Americans on these shores. Yet the federal government
overstepped the protections of the Constitution and the plain
language of FISA to eavesdrop on Americans' private communication
without any judicial checks and without proof that they are involved
in terrorism." [U.S. Newswire, 1/17/06]
Paul Weyrich, Chairman and CEO, Free Congress
Foundation: "I believe that our executive branch cannot
continue to operate without the checks of the other branches.
However, I stand behind the President in encouraging Congress
to operate cautiously during the hearings so that sensitive government
intelligence is not given to our enemies." [U.S. Newswire,
1/17/06]
Robert Levy, Constitutional Scholar and
Federalist Society Board Member: "The text of FISA
§1809 is unambiguous: 'A person is guilty of an offense if
he intentionally engages in electronic surveillance ... except
as authorized by statute.' ...I know of no court case that has
denied there is a reasonable expectation of privacy by U.S. citizens
and permanent resident aliens in the types of wire communications
that are reportedly monitored by the NSA's electronic surveillance
program." [http://www.fed-soc.org/pdf/domesticsurveillance.pdf]
Bruce Fein, Constitutional Scholar And
Former Deputy Attorney General In The Reagan Administration: Asked
if spying on the American people was as impeachable an offense
as lying about having sex with an intern, Fein responded, "I
think the answer requires at least in part considering what the
occupant of the presidency says in the aftermath of wrongdoing
or rectification. On its face, if President Bush is totally unapologetic
and says I continue to maintain that as a war-time President I
can do anything I want - I don't need to consult any other branches
- that is an impeachable offense. It's more dangerous than Clinton's
lying under oath because it jeopardizes our democratic dispensation
and civil liberties for the ages. It would set a precedent that
... would lie around like a loaded gun, able to be used indefinitely
for any future occupant." [Diane Rehm Show, 12/19/05]
David Keene, chairman, American Conservative
Union: "The need to reform surveillance laws and practices
adopted since 9/11 is more apparent now than ever. No one would
deny the government the power it needs to protect us all, but
when that power poses a threat to the basic rights that make our
nation unique, its exercise must be carefully monitored by Congress
and the courts. This is not a partisan issue; it is an issue of
safeguarding the fundamental freedoms of all Americans so that
future administrations do not interpret our laws in ways that
pose constitutional concerns." [U.S. Newswire, 1/17/06]
Alan Gottlieb, Founder, Second Amendment
Foundation: "If the law is not reformed, ordinary
Americans' personal information could be swept into all-encompassing
federal databases encroaching upon every aspect of their private
lives. This is of particular concern to gun owners, whose rights
guaranteed under the Second Amendment are currently being infringed
upon under the Patriot Act's controversial record search provisions."
[U.S. Newswire, 1/17/06]
Past News
January 2006
December 2005
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2005
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2005
September
2005
August
2005
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