The next Crawford County Democratic Party meeting will be on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 1 pm at Democratic Party Headquarters, 217A N. Broadway in Pittsburg.

We’ll get together, hear from our officers, discuss our strategies and Get Out the Vote plans, hear from candidates and elected officials and plan upcoming activities. We want you, your families and friends to join us as we prosecute this fall’s campaign.

Please let Emily know if you have any items you'd like to see added to the agenda at emily@crawfordcountyksdems.org

We are hoping to see everyone there!

By Bert Patrick 

“Political independents continue to constitute the largest political bloc in the U.S., with an average of 43% of U.S. adults identifying this way in 2023, tying the record high from 2014. Independent identification has been 40% or higher each year since 2011, except for the 2016 (39%) and 2020 (39%) presidential election years. Equal 27% shares of U.S. adults identify as Republicans and Democrats, with the Democratic figure marking a new low for that party in Gallup’s trend.” 1

This paragraph from a Gallup article may have shocked you, or more likely, confirmed your reading of our present political landscape. Members of each of the major parties might read it and conclude that it’s because voters in general are turned off by their opponents’ policies and by certain members of “the other party.”  However, we all will have to admit that the statistics are inescapable: the percentage of voters who identify as members of either major party are each 16% lower than those who register as “independents” or “unaffiliated.”

This is a troubling revelation and should be of concern to all of us.

A better use of our time would be to look at possible solutions to this undeniable rejection of the present bipolar system.  I will offer for your consideration one that is already being used in two states, Maine and Alaska, as well as cities, from metropolitan to small. It is also on the ballot in several states this November, placed there by advocates, who hope it will be adopted, and by opponents, where it is already in use, and who want to repeal it. This solution is Ranked Choice Voting or RCV.  This following is an exploration of this one possible method to reduce the partisan divide and to make our voting system more equitable and just, and which potentially would more accurately express the will of the majority of American voters.

Ranked Choice Voting has several variations. Here’s one. In the 2021 Virginia Republican governor’s primary, there were seven candidates.  Voters ranked their preferred candidate as #1, their next favorite as #2, and so on, from 1st to 7th.  After all ballots were tabulated, no candidate had won a majority (50%) of the votes.  This is one of the most important features of RCV: a candidate must win a majority of all votes cast, not a plurality. A plurality is getting more votes than any other candidate.  Why require the winner to get the majority of the votes?  Because a simple plurality would make it possible for a candidate, as it now does in most of our elections, to be elected with 30%, 25% or 20% of the vote, depending on how many candidates are running.  Again, using the Virginia gubernatorial example, if Ranked Choice Voting had NOT been used, theoretically, the candidate who got a mere 15% of all votes cast could have been elected [100% / 7 = 14.285%].

This is one of the most serious defects of our present voting system. It results in the election of extremist candidates, who “out-primary” a member of their own party, usually backed either by party zealots, dark money, or special interest groups, all of whom are interested in holding onto power and benefiting themselves. These candidates, once elected, most often merely pander to their backers, rather than working with colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to solve our chronic problems.

Going back to the Virginia election, this is how Ranked Choice Voting worked there.  When all ballots were counted and no candidate had a majority, the candidate with the least votes was eliminated.  His/her supporters’ ballots were reviewed and their rankings redistributed. That is, the candidates that each of those voters chose as their second choice, now received additional first choice votes; their third choices now got additional second choice votes; and so on.  After recounting all votes a second time, again no candidate won a majority. This continued through five rounds of voting until Glenn Younkin had 50% or more of the votes, thereby advancing to the general election as the Republican candidate. 2

Now, a second example of Ranked Choice Voting: the 2022 Alaska special election to pick someone to complete a recently deceased congressman’s term in office.  In this election, all registered voters, no matter party affiliation or none, were asked to choose four candidates, backed by any party or none, who would proceed to a general election.  After those four were determined, in the general election, voters ranked them from their 1st choice to their 4th.  In the first round of voting, none of the four got a majority of the votes.  So, the fourth-place finisher, Republican Nick Begich, was eliminated and his supporters’ ballots were reviewed and votes for their second, third and fourth ranked candidates were redistributed.  Unlike what would have been anticipated, Begich supporters’ second choice was not fellow Republican candidate Sarah Palin, but rather other candidates.  There was also a segment of Begich supporters who didn’t even mark second, third and fourth choices.  The end result was that Democratic newcomer Mary Peltola, an Alaska native, eventually won a majority of the votes and became the first person of her heritage to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. 3  As a result, many Alaska Republicans, fearing an ongoing threat to their decades-long domination of Alaska politics, have succeeded in getting a measure to repeal the use of Ranked Choice Voting on this November’s ballot. 4

Below are a number of articles and videos with additional information about Ranked Choice Voting.  I encourage you to read/view them and to keep them for future reference.  Please share this article and sources with others.

Bibliography and Additional Resources:

1 Independent Party ID Tied for High; Democratic ID at New Low https://news.gallup.com/poll/548459/independent-party-tied-high-democratic-new-low.aspx 

2 Glenn Youngkin Wins GOP Nomination for Virginia Governor https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/10/us/politics/glenn-youngkin-virginia-governor-republicans.html 

3 With Peltola’s Defeat of Palin, Alaska’s Ranked-Choice Voting Has a Moment https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/us/politics/alaska-voting-system-mary-peltola.html

4 Ranked-choice voting that has rocked Alaska politics faces November tests across the nation https://alaskapublic.org/2024/05/29/ranked-choice-voting-that-has-rocked-alaska-politics-faces-november-tests-across-the-nation/

INSIGHT KANSAS: Who’s Afraid of Ranked Choice Voting? https://www.emporiagazette.com/free/article_f0a0a67c-c6a8-11ee-a8b6-0f39e7bf31b2.html

Ranked Choice Voting Resource Center (RCVRC) https://www.rcvresources.org/where-is-rcv-used

Ranked Choice Voting explained in 60 secs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZoFjaTSvQY

What Is Ranked Choice Voting? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z2fRPRkWvY

Fair Vote https://fairvote.org/our-reforms/ranked-choice-voting/

How Does Ranked Choice Voting Work? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHRPMJmzBBw

Ranked Choice Voting Pros Cons  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y47yDXmeNmY

By Lynn Grant

In August, the Outreach Committee sponsored a Back to School Event in addition to the Arma VJ Day parade and the PSU Community Fair. Many donations were collected for the four elementary schools in USD 250, Lakeside, Westside, Meadowlark and George Nettels. We used the lists provided by the school district as guidelines to collect items that would be needed and used by students K-5.

Thanks to your generosity in donations of supplies or cash, we were able to fill a large box and a really full bag for each of the schools which included the majority of the needed supplies.

Crawford County Democrats never fail to amaze with your willingness to pitch in and help our communities.

Upcoming parades:  Walnut 8/31, 10:00; Cherokee, 9/7 5:00; Arcadia 9/14, TBA;  McCune, 9/28, 10:30.

For more information and to volunteer at any of the events contact any of the committee members: Jackson Bertoncino, Lynn Grant, Janice Arthur, Ruth Miller, and Harriet Bachner

We met on Aug. 14 at Dem HQ. Emily Walters was able to attend. Four women who work with Planned Parenthood came to answer questions about the new facility. It's located at 2312 S. Tucker Terrace and the phone is (620) 822-8064 They will be having training sessions for volunteers to be Patient Allies. The first training was that afternoon at Emily and Jordan's house. Planned Parenthood has a non-engagement policy with protesters.

Our Aug., 28 meeting had two new women. The Dems were having a table on Friday, Aug. 30, with set up is at 3. and volunteers coming from 6 to 8. Festa will be in September. White sheet cakes will be needed. Contact Lynn Grant. Early voting will start on 10/22. Some Liberal Ladies are posting positive messages on Post-it notes and leaving them in public places — Joy Notes.

I stopped by Planned Parenthood today since I didn't know where it was. I just pulled up to the front door and started writing down the address. I could see a policeman or guard inside. He came to check me out and was very pleasant. I told him I was with Liberal Ladies Who Lunch and that we are very supportive. He said that was good to hear. There were three or four older women on the sidewalk out by the road all huddled together. I couldn't tell what their signs said.

Harriet took a picture of the 8/30 group which means she isn't in it!

Our next meeting is on 9/11 at Dem HQ.

— Susy Hammons

2024 General Election

Tuesday, Oct. 15 – Deadline to register to vote or update your voter registration information to vote in the 2024 general election.

Wednesday, Oct. 16 – First day of advance voting. Advance ballots by mail are transmitted. Check with county election officer for times and locations www.crawfordcountykansas.org/election-division.html   

Tuesday, Oct. 29 – Last day to apply for an advance voting mail ballot. Due to mail being delayed sometimes, we recommend that you mail your ballot at least a week before November 5.

Monday, Nov. 4 – In person advance voting ends at 12:00pm.         

Tuesday, Nov. 5 – Polls open at 7am and close at 7pm.

All advance ballots by mail must be postmarked by election day and received by Friday, Nov. 8

Information about the upcoming elections and voter registration can be found here: https://sos.ks.gov/elections/important-election-dates.html

We delayed our book group discussion by one week this month because we were enthusiastic about watching the Democratic National Convention, and it was worth the late-night viewing. Some of us even caught glimpses of Emily and Jackson, our two delegates. After some appreciative conversation about the Democratic candidates, Harris and Walz, as well as the dynamic speeches by Barack and Michelle Obama, and many others, we settled down to discussing Tony Fauci’s (2024) compelling book, entitled On call: A doctor’s journey in public service.

Dr. Fauci describes in much detail his career in research and as attending physician for patients who show symptoms of infectious diseases, most of which had not been previously identified. As director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health from 1982 to 2022, he has served as a key advisor to seven presidents on our preparedness against emerging infectious disease threats. Most of us had been familiar with his initiatives dealing with the first HIV/AIDS patients and more recently his role as medical consultant during the Trump administration regarding the Covid 19 pandemic, and as chief medical advisor during the first two years of Biden’s administration. Even though Dr. Fauci played a significant role in finding treatments for the Anthrax scare, Zika, Ebola, among several other infectious diseases, and most recently, Covid 19, his unrelenting efforts in identifying and researching treatments for the AIDS virus and continued research to someday find a cure for AIDS is his most long-term notable work.

We all found Dr. Fauci’s dedication and motivation throughout his career to be amazing. Learning about the fragility of our ability to grapple with serious infectious diseases was a real “wake up call” to the necessity of supporting the research and providing the resources so important in globally safeguarding our health. Indeed, we consider this book to be a great read!

Our next book group will be on Wednesday September 18. We meet at the CCD Headquarters at 6:30 to share a potluck dinner and lively conversation about our book for September which is Soul Boom: Why we need a spiritual revolution by Rainn Wilson. He discusses the necessity for a “spiritual revolution to address issues such as mental health, racism and sexism, climate change, and economic injustice. Wilson believes that spiritual ideas are important to tackling global issues.”

You are welcome to join us, even if you have not met with the group previously.

— Harriet Bachner

Article submissions are needed from Crawford County Democrats and friends about issues and topics we should all be thinking about. Let us publish your thoughts in this Revue, for distribution to county Democrats and others across the state.

Please email your thoughts or those of your caucuses and interest groups for publication in the county party’s newsletter to news@crawfordcountyksdems.org. Accompanying photographs or other ideas for illustrating your articles are also welcome. Feel free to ask questions by text or phone of newsletter crew Harriet at 620-704-8566 or Phil at 708-466-0659. Also please include your phone number with your message in case we have questions for you.

We look forward to hearing from you!