As residents of western Kansas and frequent shoppers in Hays and the surrounding area, we pride ourselves on high voter participation and orderly, well-run elections.
Our county clerks, poll workers, and volunteers do their jobs carefully and professionally. That is why national proposals like the so-called “SAVE Act” deserve local attention.
Ellis, Barton, Russell, Trego, Rush and Rooks counties are all affected by the latest proposal by our local politicians, including our senators and representatives, state and federal.
We are neighbors and we know each other without having to carry formal identification.
I would bet that Jerry Moran’s wife’s birth certificate does not bear the name Moran. Nor does Barb Wasinger's bear that last name. Nor does Ken Rahjes’s spouse’s birth certificate use anything but her maiden name. You get the gist, right?
Many states have gone to same-day voter registration, so if they want to mandate exact matches in last names, then let us do that at the polls, at least. A utility bill, a driver's license, a credit card or a debit card with a photo makes more sense than a passport, which not everyone has.
The bill would require documentary proof of citizenship at the time of voting. In practice, federal agencies have often treated passports and certain certified birth certificates as the primary acceptable documents.
Many western Kansas residents do not carry or even have passports, and married women whose legal names differ from their birth certificates face additional hurdles or challenges at the polls.
In our counties, that matters. We have a significant population of married women, retirees, rural residents, and working families who may not have ready access to updated documentation reflecting every name change over a lifetime.
If even a small number of otherwise eligible voters are delayed, challenged or turned away because paperwork does not perfectly align, that affects neighbors, church members, veterans, teachers, Fort Hays State employees, and small business owners right here at home.
Supporters of stricter proof requirements argue they are addressing non-citizen voting. However, documented cases of non-citizen voting in Kansas have been exceedingly rare.
Our local election officials already verify eligibility during registration. Why should we add another requirement for additional ID at the polls? Before adding new federal mandates, we should carefully weigh whether the burden placed on lawful voters in western Kansas is justified by evidence.
At the same time, we are seeing state-level proposals that could impose additional identification or documentation requirements.
Again, the practical impact would not be abstract. It would fall on local citizens—particularly elderly residents, women who changed their names decades ago, and rural voters who must travel significant distances to government offices to obtain replacement records.
Regardless of party affiliation, we western Kansas citizens should ask whether new federal or state mandates make it easier or harder for eligible neighbors to cast a ballot. Strong elections are secure—but they are also accessible.
I encourage readers to respectfully contact Congressman Tracey Mann, Senators Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran, and our state legislators—Representatives Wasinger, Rahjes, Waymaster, and our State Senators Billinger and Blew—and ask how proposed voting changes would affect Ellis County, Russell County, Rush County, Rooks County, Trego County and Rice and Barton County voters specifically.
We deserve clear answers about how these measures would operate in Hays, Russell, Stockton, WaKeeney, Ellsworth and Great Bend and throughout western Kansas.
Our community benefits when lawful participation is protected and confidence in elections is maintained. Both security and access matter. We should insist on policies that preserve both.
—Ron Svaty
retired Kansas judge and proud citizen of western Kansas