Be An Informed Voter
July 26th, 2008 by natalie
UPDATE: After visiting with some friends this morning and learning more about the candidates for Sedgwick County Sheriff, I am placing my support behind Dal L Astle. Astle is not a politician, and is committed to restoring principles of integrity to the Sheriff’s office and the Wichita law enforcement field.
Tonight our family attended an ice cream social hosted by the Pete DeGraaf campaign. There were numerous other candidates in attendance and I had the opportunity to talk with a number of them and ask some questions I’ve had about them and their campaigns. It was very informative and I am much more confident now about who I want to vote for. Plus, we also loaded up on signs so that all of our friends and neighbors who drive by our house will know who to vote for!
For anyone who cares to know which candidates I am supporting, I am listing them below. These candidates are specific to my address, so you will need to check to determine which candidates are running in your precinct, county, district, etc. This Kansas VoterView website is a great place to look up which voting areas you are in. Plus, you can also view your own voting record for all previous elections and your polling place. After you know which voting areas you are in, head on over to the Upcoming Elections Candidate Listing on the Kansas Secretary of State website. (Unfortunately, this list doesn’t include Precinct races, but I think it lists candidates in every other race. I’m not sure where to find a precinct list, so if anyone reading this knows, please share!)
Here are a couple of other helpful resources:
Election ’08 Voter Guide – The Wichita Eagle conducted an extensive survey of all candidates running for offices – they even included us lowly Precinct Committeemen and Committeewomen 
– so this guide is a collection of answers from each candidate to specific questions posed on the survey.
Kansans For Life Political Action Committee Pro-Life Voter’s Guide – click on your county to download a PDF file with the corresponding endorsements.
Kansas Republican Assembly Preferred Candidate List - Click on your county and then on the link to download a PDF file with the corresponding endorsements.
And…here are my endorsements for the August 5 Kansas Primary Election:
United States Senator – Pat Roberts
U.S. Representative 4th District – Todd Tiahrt
State Senator 26th District – Dick Kelsey – Dick is a long-time friend of our family and he has been a staunch and faithful conservative for many years. Plus, he gave away cool pens at the Derby parade!
State Representative 82nd District – Don Myers – Don and his wife Mary are also long-time friends of our family. Don has courageously and faithfully stood opposed to gambling expansion and other critical issues and remains a champion of godly and constitutional principles of government.
18th District Judge Division 1 – Phillip Journey
18th District Judge Division 10 – Bruce Brown – I had a chance to visit with Bruce and his wife, Rachel, for a little while tonight and was very impressed with his thoughts on different issues. I also had a chance to observe him on the streets during the Derby parade and appreciated the way he interacted with people and answered their questions. Not to mention that he has, on more than one occasion, chased down dogs that escaped from houses while he visited with the owners.
18th District Judge Division 27 – Jeff Syrios – I also spoke briefly with Jeff tonight and appreciate his personable, honest and down-to-earth demeanor. I have several friends who have worked at his law office over the years and they have always spoken very highly of him as well.
18th District Judge Division 28 – Eric Commer – Eric was at the ice cream social tonight, but I didn’t get a chance to meet him. However, based on the recommendations of people I respect and the information I’ve been able to learn about him, I’ve decided to vote for him.
Member, State Board of Education 10th District – Marty Marshall
County Clerk – Kelly Arnold – I had a chance to talk with Kelly for a while tonight to get a better idea of what the County Clerk position involves, why he is running for the position and what his plans are for it. He has some great ideas and I think his experience and personality will make him very effective in this position.
County Treasurer – Ron Estes – Ron is running unopposed, but I wanted to put him on my list because I think he’s such a great guy. He’s very friendly and patient in answering lots of questions – I know, because several years ago when we first met, I peppered him with all sorts of questions to find out more about the County Treasurer position. He and his wife, Susan, have done a lot to build the Republican Party in Kansas.
Sheriff – Dal L Astle
Precinct Committeeman – Norm McGeeney
Precinct Committeewoman – Natalie Wickham - Yes, I’m voting for myself and I hope anyone reading this who lives in my precinct will vote for me too!
This has been an exciting campaign season thus far and we have some really wonderful candidates running. As the Lord brings the election to mind, please pray for these candidates and their families. It’s a lot of hard, exhausting work to run an effective campaign and it can take a toll on a person – mentally, emotionally and physically. Of course, we are also praying for victory, but trust that God is Sovereign and the outcome is in His hands. Just don’t forget to do your part and vote on Tuesday, August 5!
