Kansas GOP Insider (wannabe): Oh, KK. No.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Oh, KK. No.

I am not sure what Kris Kobach's end game is here, but out of the blocks, this one looks pretty silly.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach proposed a bill to a legislative committee yesterday that would create straight-ticket voting. Voters would check a single box to vote for every candidate on the ballot from one party.

Um. I'm pretty partisan, but no thanks.

Kobach's reasoning for the proposal was limited on well, reasoning. He told the committee that he wants cut down on the number of voters who come to the polls, vote in major races and leave the rest of the ballot blank.

No thank you, sir. 

I'm pretty partisan and vote straight-ticket more often than not. However, I regularly leave blanks on my ballot, and it's intentional. There are (so many) times I can't stomach the thought of any of the candidates on the ballot.

And I know of several people of integrity who leave blanks on their ballots because they don't feel informed enough to vote in a particular race. I am so OK with that. The last thing we need is to force the dumb-dumbs out there to blindly pick a side. I'd prefer they pay some attention to the issues and candidates. 

The straight-ticket voting would assist voters, he said. But some of us would rather the government just stop assisting us. We've got this figured out. Thanks.

The initiative would also cut down on lines on election day, because as KK said, marking one box is so much quicker than voting in every race. 

I hate to ask what he's smoking, and yet, that's the question that must be asked. KK is talking crazy. I didn't know election lines were a problem. I can't remember the last time I voted and waited more than a minute or two. I wait much, much longer in line every time I go to the grocery store or convenience store. (Convenience stores, save for the QT, are monumentally inconvenient, if you ask me.) And yet, I don't think we need a law to fix it. 

There is some precedence for straight-ticket voting. BUT there's also precedent for denying women the right to vote. Just because it's been done in the past, doesn't mean we should do it today.

If there is some logical reason I'm missing, please, please let me know. I'm trying to look at this proposal from all sides, and from every angle, it looks like complete nonsense.

I'm kind of shocked that KK is wasting time on something so ridiculous. Secretary Kobach also proposed a bill that would disallow removing any candidate from a ballot unless they die. 

I kind of agree the Chad Taylor-removal-from-Dem-ballot-to-help-Orman was kind of gross and tacky, and disenfranchised all those who worked, donated and voted for Taylor in the Democratic primary -- not to mention the Dem voters who cast ballots for the other guy. 

I'm surprised Kobach thinks his proposal -- no leaving the ballot unless you DIE -- is the best way to handle it. 






2 comments:

  1. KK is just one K away from the KLAN!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have lived and voted in states where there was a straight ticket OPTION on the ballot, if the voter wanted to use it. Some people did. The rest went through the ballot and made the selections they wanted. The option was just that, an option to use if the voter wanted. The purpose was to speed up voting lines.

    ReplyDelete