Submitted
Laura Allen, focusing on voting rights and access, will be the Democratic Party candidate for Ellis County Clerk, challenging incumbent Bobbi Dreiling.
With no opponents in the Democratic primary, she will be the party’s candidate for office.
Her focus in the campaign is voting.
“I really want to open a discussion about voting and voting access in our community,” she said. “We should be engaging Ellis County residents, especially new residents, on how and where to vote.”
Allen said she is a champion of creating access to voting on the Fort Hays State campus.
“I absolutely think that access to voting at Fort Hays State should be a priority for our community,” she said. “Let’s meet students where they are and give them the opportunity to vote on campus.”
She continued, “As a parent and voter, I am thrilled to see young adults campaigning for their voting rights. I have the utmost respect for the faculty and staff at Fort Hays for the support they have offered their students. I hope that all election officials look forward to working with voters in every stage of their voting careers, ensuring strong elections and voter turnout.”
Allen, an Ellis County native, raised her family in Hays and has worked in the non-profit sector for the past seven years.
“I have always gravitated to career positions that provide services to others,” she said.
She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Fort Hays State University and that, coupled with her career experience, gives her confidence in her ability to perform the multitude of administrative duties in the clerk office.
“I do best when I am busy, because I am great at prioritizing,” she said. “I am a quick learner and I love to research. If I am unsure how something is done, I find out how to do it correctly, which includes not being afraid to ask for help and input from others.”
“And,” she continued, “I'm not afraid to roll up my sleeves. Duties will not always be in the 8 to 4 business hours.”
The conversation she wants to start includes helping voters realize the importance of local elections.
“In a local election, our votes select the people whose decisions affect our everyday lives. If you want your voices to be heard, and you want your votes to make a difference, vote in local elections!”
Allen said that innovation and collaboration often lead to the best changes.
“Working with our community, which includes FHSU and its students, is an essential function of any elected official but especially the County Clerk, who has such a wide range of responsibilities,” she said.
People she speaks to about the clerk’s office generally have no idea, beyond voter registration, what the office does, unless some item of personal business takes them there.
“Hays has an engaged and committed community, and county officials should be a part of that community,” she said.
In addition to voter registration and controlling polling locations, the clerk’s office performs services in the areas of drinking licenses; transient merchant licenses; passports; moving permits; various tax forms for homestead claims, low-income seniors and property tax relief; ownership transfers for real estate taxes and other areas.
The schedule for the 2024 election:
Primary: Register to vote by Tuesday, July 16. The primary is Tuesday, August 6.
General: Register to vote by Tuesday, October 15. Advance voting begins Wednesday, October 16. The election is Tuesday, November 5.