Two constitutional amendments on Nov. 8 ballot
BY DALE HOGG
dhogg@gbtribune.com
In addition to the local, county, state and national offices on the Nov. 8 general election ballot are two amendments to the Kansas Constitution. Below in the wording on the amendments from the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office.
• The first concerns “legislative oversight of administrative rules and regulations. Whenever the legislature by law has authorized any officer or agency within the executive branch of government to adopt rules and regulations that have the force and effect of law, the Legislature may provide by law for the revocation or suspension of any such rule and regulation, or any portion thereof, upon a vote of a majority of the members then elected or appointed and qualified in each house.”
The purpose of this amendment is to provide the legislature with oversight of state executive branch agencies and officials by providing the legislature authority to establish procedures to revoke or suspend rules and regulations.
A vote for this proposition would allow the legislature to establish procedures to revoke or suspend rules and regulations that are adopted by state executive branch agencies and officials that have the force and effect of law.
A vote against this proposition would allow state executive branch agencies and officials to continue adopting rules and regulations that have the force and effect of law without any opportunity for the legislature to directly revoke or suspend such rules and regulations.
• The second “County and township officers” deals with the election of sheriffs.
This amendment would preserve the right of citizens of each county that elected a county sheriff as of Jan. 11, 2022, to continue electing the county sheriff. The amendment would also provide that a county sheriff only may be involuntarily removed from office pursuant to either a recall election or a writ of quo warranto initiated by the attorney general.
A vote for this proposition would preserve the right of citizens of each county that elected a county sheriff as of Jan. 11, 2022, to continue electing the county sheriff via popular vote. The amendment would also direct that a county sheriff only may be involuntarily removed from office pursuant to either a recall election or a writ of quo warranto initiated by the attorney general.
A vote against this proposition would not make any changes to the constitution and would retain current law concerning the election of a sheriff and the procedures for involuntary removal of a sheriff from office of attorney general.
There are a number of city, county, state and national-level offices on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.
Listed on the ballot will also be the retention of Kansas Supreme Court justices Melissa Taylor Standridge, Dan Biles, J. Wall, Marla Luckert, Evelyn Z. Wilson and Caleb Stegall, and Court Of Appeals Judges Stephen D. Hill, Lesley Ann Isherwood, Amy Fellows Cline, Kim R. Schroeder, Henry W. Green Jr., Tom Malone and Jacy J. Hurst.
A for the election, below is a list compiled from the Barton County Clerk’s Office.
Great Bend
• Council member 1st Ward, elect 1 –Lindsey Krom-Craven
• Council member 2nd Ward, elect 1 – Kevyn Soupiset
• Council member 3rd Ward, elect 1 – Davis A. Jimenez
• Council member 4th Ward, elect 1 – Brock R. McPherson
Hoisington
• Council member 1st Ward, elect 1 – V. Karen Van Brimmer
• Council member 2nd Ward, elect 1 – Carrol Nather
• Council member 3rd Ward, elect 1 – no filings
• Council member 4th Ward, elect 1 – Gary A. Shook
Ellinwood
• City Council, elect three – Kirk Clawson, Jacque K. Isern and Kenneth A. Lebbin
• Ellinwood Hospital District trustee – Aaron D. Sauer and Joyce Schulte
County Commission
• First District
Duane Reif, Republican
Linda Moeder, write-in, Republican (not on the county list)
• Fourth District
Tricia Schlessiger, Republican
• Fifth District
Donna Zimmerman, Republican
County clerk
Bev Schmeidler, Republican
Township clerks
Albion Township, Ronald (Rocky) Meitner, Republican
Beaver Township, Scott Schlochtermeier, Republican
Buffalo Township, Kent Romine, Republican
Cheyenne Township, John Lamatsch, Republican
Clarence Township, Dennis D. Comer, Republican
Cleveland Township, Brian Hoffman, Republican
Comanche Township, Linda Borror, Republican
Eureka Township, Michael McCurry, Republican
Fairview Township, Deric Funk, Republican
Grant Township, Mark Stos, Republican
Great Bend Township, R.L. Engle, Republican
North Homestead Township, Kody Lang, Republican
South Homestead Township, Brandon Yeakley, Republican
Independent Township, no filings
Lakin Township, Aaron Birzer, Republican
Liberty Township, no filings
Logan Township, Joseph V. Zink, Republican
Pawnee Rock Township, Roy Prescott, Republican
South Bend Township, Darren Nicolet, Republican
Union Township, Justin Nicolet, Republican
Walnut, no filings
Wheatland Township, Tim Maier, Republican
United States Senate
Mark R Holland, Democrat
Jerry Moran, Republican
David C Graham, Libertarian
United States House 1
James “Jimmy” Beard, Democrat
Tracey Mann, Republican
Governor/lieutenant governor
Laura Kelly/David Toland, Democrat
Derek Schmidt/Katie Sawyer, Republican
Seth Cordell/Evan Laudick-Gains, Libertarian
Dennis Pyle Kathleen E. Garrison, Independent
Secretary of state
Jeanna Repass, Democrat
Scott Schwab, Republican
Cullene Lang, Libertarian
Attorney general
Chris Mann, Democrat
Kris Kobach, Republican
State treasurer
Lynn W. Rogers, Democrat
Steven Johnson, Republican
Steve Roberts, Libertarian
Commissioner of insurance
Kiel Corkranm, Democrat
Vicki Schmidt, Republican
Kansas House District 112
Tory Marie Blew, Republican
Kansas House District 113
Jo Ann Roth, Democrat
Brett Fairchild, Republican
State Board of Education 7
Dennis Hershberger, Republican
District Court Judge 20
Carey Hipp, Republican
In-person advance voting still available
There is still time for registered voters in Barton County to cast their advance votes for the Tuesday, Nov. 8, general election, but the only option now is to do so during business hours at the County Clerk’s Office on the second floor of the Courthouse, 1400 Main in Great Bend. The deadline for this in-person voting is noon Monday, Nov. 7.
The deadline has lapsed to receive an advance ballot through the mail.
Other general election voting deadlines:
• Tuesday, Nov. 8: Deadline for sick/disabled/illiterate voters to apply for an advanced voting ballot.
• Tuesday, Nov. 8: Advanced ballots must be returned to the County Clerk’s Office or to a voter’s polling location by 7 p.m.
For more information, contact the County Clerk’s Office at 620-793-1835. The courthouse address is 1400 Main, Room 202.
