<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1576785940426.png" alt="Michael Smith is a professor at Emporia State University." />
 <figcaption>Michael Smith is a professor at Emporia State University.</figcaption>
 </figure>Conspiracy theories have taken root in Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;Reporter Jim McLean discovered this while visiting the town of Protection, Kansas, recently for a story.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1957, this Comanche County community became the first town in the U.S. to be fully vaccinated against polio.&nbsp;&nbsp;Back then, vaccinations were a community event with widespread public support.&nbsp;According to McLean, “it’s a different story today.”McLean found today’s Protection deeply divided over the COVID-19 vaccine.&nbsp;&nbsp;Refusers and skeptics gave many reasons, including a vague sense of distrust.&nbsp;&nbsp;However, some people he interviewed expressed a more-specific belief, that the government puts a tracking microchip in each dose.&nbsp;&nbsp;This particular belief is not only baseless, it is also a component of a larger conspiracy theory called QAnon.&nbsp;&nbsp;When citizens and public officials tacitly endorse components of larger conspiracy theory narratives, they put public health in danger by raising the percentage of those not vaccinated.&nbsp;&nbsp;They also make it more difficult to properly allocate supplies so that doses do not get wasted.&nbsp;&nbsp;Finally, they help spread the conspiracy theory itself.Conspiracy theories also endanger our democracy, and Kansas’ elected officials are the culprits.&nbsp;&nbsp;Led by Trump appointee Christopher Krebs, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) reported that the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election was “the most secure in U.S. history.”&nbsp;&nbsp;So, why did&nbsp;&nbsp;Kansas Reps. Tracey Mann, Jake LaTurner, Ron Estes, and Senator Roger Marshall refuse to certify the results?&nbsp;&nbsp;Each was vague, but one of the most popular narratives defending this decision was the belief that Dominion Voting Systems machines were “rigged” to change votes from Trump to Biden.&nbsp;&nbsp;This too is linked closely to QAnon, and it too is false.What follows is an actual description of what these deniers are helping to spread.&nbsp;&nbsp;This is a brief primer on QAnon, which is taken seriously by an estimated one million Americans.QAnon backers were heavily involved in the U.S. Capitol rioting on January 6th.&nbsp;&nbsp;QAnon believer Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed by capitol police while leading a mob.&nbsp;&nbsp;The shirtless rioters wearing horned headdresses were also QAnon followers.&nbsp;&nbsp;Other QAnon symbols spotted that day include logos incorporating the capital letter “Q,” references to John F. Kennedy, Jr., and the hashtags #WWG1WGA (Where We Go One We Go All) and #Savethechildren.&nbsp;&nbsp;QAnon followers believe that leading members of the Democratic Party worship Satan and operate a child trafficking ring because they want to get high from a chemical in the childrens’ blood.&nbsp;&nbsp;QAnon draws heavily upon an anti-Semitic (anti-Jewish), Medieval European conspiracy theory called&nbsp;blood libel.&nbsp;&nbsp;Openly endorsed by two U.S. Representatives, QAnon anticipates&nbsp;the storm, when former President Trump will incarcerate or execute the alleged cabal.&nbsp;QAnon followers also believe that John F. Kennedy, Jr. is still alive and that home goods retailer&nbsp;<a href="http://wayfair.com/">Wayfair.com</a>&nbsp;is a front for the child trafficking.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Followers are linked to stalking, kidnapping, an attack on the Canadian Prime Minister’s home, at least two murders, a blockade of the Hoover Dam, and a train derailment.&nbsp;&nbsp;Last year, heavily armed QAnon believers were arrested on their way to the Philadelphia Convention Center while ballots were being counted.&nbsp;&nbsp;I recently wrote up my more-detailed deep dive into QAnon on the Midwest Political Science Association’s blog site, available at&nbsp;<a href="http://mpsanet.org/mpsa-blog">mpsanet.org/mpsa-blog</a>When&nbsp;Kansas politicians and citizens endorse&nbsp;factually baseless&nbsp;components of conspiracy theories, they encourage&nbsp;the whole toxic narrative.&nbsp;&nbsp;They&nbsp;disrupt public health, endanger democracy, and even&nbsp;threaten&nbsp;to undermine our understanding of reality itself.&nbsp;&nbsp;It needs to stop, right now.Michael Smith is a professor at Emporia State University.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Conspiracy theories attack lives, democracy in Kan.