Hilary Luft, 82, Bison, Kansas, passed away Thursday, November 3, 
2022, at Rush County Memorial Hospital Intermediate Swing Bed, La 
Crosse, Kansas.

Hilary was born June 16, 1940, in Salina, Kansas, the son of Richard 
and Alta (Brack) Luft. Most of his life was spent as a resident of Rush 
County, Kansas. A 1959 graduate of Otis High School, Otis, Kansas, he 
was a farmer and rancher.

He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Otis, Kansas.

On October 31, 1961, he married Donna Schneider at Larned, Kansas.

Survivors include: his wife, Donna Luft, Bison, Kansas; one son, 
Richard T. Luft, (Laura), La Crosse, Kansas; one daughter, Lori Richter 
(Michael), Goddard, Kansas; and three grandchildren, Cody Richter, 
Cameron Richter, and Taylor Richter.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and one sister, Linda Herbel.

Memorial service will be Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at 11:00 A.M. 
at the First Lutheran Church, La Crosse, Kansas, with Pastor Phyllis 
Burdge officiating.

In lieu of flowers or plants, memorials are suggested to the Rush County Memorial Hospital Intermediate Swing Bed.

Condolences or remembrances may be left for the family at www.janousekfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements were by Janousek Funeral Home, 719 Pine Street, P O Box 550, La Crosse, Kansas 67548, 785/222-2517.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667835353440.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Hilary Luft, 82, Bison, Kansas, passed away Thursday, November 3, 
2022, at Rush County Memorial Hospital Intermediate Swing Bed, La 
Crosse, Kansas.Hilary was born June 16, 1940, in Salina, Kansas, the son of Richard 
and Alta (Brack) Luft. Most of his life was spent as a resident of Rush 
County, Kansas. A 1959 graduate of Otis High School, Otis, Kansas, he 
was a farmer and rancher.He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Otis, Kansas.On October 31, 1961, he married Donna Schneider at Larned, Kansas.Survivors include: his wife, Donna Luft, Bison, Kansas; one son, 
Richard T. Luft, (Laura), La Crosse, Kansas; one daughter, Lori Richter 
(Michael), Goddard, Kansas; and three grandchildren, Cody Richter, 
Cameron Richter, and Taylor Richter.He was preceded in death by his parents; and one sister, Linda Herbel.The family has chosen cremation.Memorial service will be Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at 11:00 A.M. 
at the First Lutheran Church, La Crosse, Kansas, with Pastor Phyllis 
Burdge officiating.In lieu of flowers or plants, memorials are suggested to the Rush County Memorial Hospital Intermediate Swing Bed.Condolences or remembrances may be left for the family at www.janousekfuneralhome.com.Arrangements were by Janousek Funeral Home, 719 Pine Street, P O Box 550, La Crosse, Kansas 67548, 785/222-2517.

Hilary Luft

By BECKY KISER Hays Post

Hays drivers might think they've been winding their way through the south Vine Street construction for a really long time. 

The work has been going on longer than expected. 

Reconstruction of Vine Street between 13th Street and south to the city limits — the Old Highway 40 bypass intersection — was supposed to be completed the last week of October.&nbsp;

Work on the Kansas Department of Transportation project is behind schedule, confirmed John Braun, project manager for the city of Hays.

"The contractor is currently in what they call 'liquidated damages' — sort of like a penalty phase," Braun said Tuesday. "So each day, they are being charged a penalty until they get the project complete."

The construction schedule now projects a completion date of mid-December.

Lack of available workers, a nationwide problem, is attributed to the delay.&nbsp;

"It's manpower shortages, their inability to hire labor," Braun explained.&nbsp;

Access to all businesses has remained open, but sometimes with restrictions as temporary entrances are constructed.

The project contractor is Smoky Hill Construction of Salina, the same contractor that completed the north Vine Street roundabout project, work that took two years to complete.&nbsp;

The south Vine project includes replacement of the concrete pavement, select areas of curb and gutter, sidewalk ramps, new pedestrian crossings at Eighth Street, storm sewer inlet tops, and pavement markings.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5438fd88-c2ce-4d44-8688-4587563236b4">$3.9 million project got underway May 9</a>.&nbsp;

In 2019, the city was awarded a $1 million grant from the KDOT City Connecting Link Improvement Program to help fund the cost. Hays will pay the remaining $2.9 million using cash from the city's capital reserve fund.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667592344390.jpeg" alt="The south Vine Street reconstruction project, which was scheduled to be completed by the end of October, is now expected to be finished by mid-December. It has been slowed by a shortage of workers. (Photo by Becky Kiser/Hays Post)" />
 <figcaption>The south Vine Street reconstruction project, which was scheduled to be completed by the end of October, is now expected to be finished by mid-December. It has been slowed by a shortage of workers. (Photo by Becky Kiser/Hays Post)</figcaption>
 </figure>By BECKY KISER Hays PostHays drivers might think they've been winding their way through the south Vine Street construction for a really long time. The work has been going on longer than expected. Reconstruction of Vine Street between 13th Street and south to the city limits — the Old Highway 40 bypass intersection — was supposed to be completed the last week of October.&nbsp;Work on the Kansas Department of Transportation project is behind schedule, confirmed John Braun, project manager for the city of Hays.<div><div style="position:relative; overflow:hidden; padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/ngCBfKcl-P46diVCW.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" title="South Vine Street Delays" style="position:absolute;" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div>"The contractor is currently in what they call 'liquidated damages' — sort of like a penalty phase," Braun said Tuesday. "So each day, they are being charged a penalty until they get the project complete."The construction schedule now projects a completion date of mid-December.Lack of available workers, a nationwide problem, is attributed to the delay.&nbsp;"It's manpower shortages, their inability to hire labor," Braun explained.&nbsp;Access to all businesses has remained open, but sometimes with restrictions as temporary entrances are constructed.The project contractor is Smoky Hill Construction of Salina, the same contractor that completed the north Vine Street roundabout project, work that took two years to complete.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651682939363.jpeg" alt="(City of Hays)" />
 <figcaption>(City of Hays)</figcaption>
 </figure>The south Vine project includes replacement of the concrete pavement, select areas of curb and gutter, sidewalk ramps, new pedestrian crossings at Eighth Street, storm sewer inlet tops, and pavement markings.The&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5438fd88-c2ce-4d44-8688-4587563236b4">$3.9 million project got underway May 9</a>.&nbsp;In 2019, the city was awarded a $1 million grant from the KDOT City Connecting Link Improvement Program to help fund the cost. Hays will pay the remaining $2.9 million using cash from the city's capital reserve fund.&nbsp;

🎥 Worker shortage forces south Vine contractor into 'penalty phase' 

By LUKE X. MARTIN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-10-28/a-new-rock-opera-tells-the-very-metal-story-of-a-kansas-college-student-who-died-fighting-fascism">Kansas News Service</a>

Frank Narwot first learned of Don Henry’s short life and sacrifice 
while glancing over a trivia display at a Lawrence, Kansas, brewpub.

“I read his story,” the <a href="https://franknawrot.com/" target="_blank">guitarist and music professor</a> at Wichita State University said, “and I was, like, ‘OK, I’ve got to write some music about this.”

What
 a muse. A college kid from bucolic Dodge City, Kansas, radicalized by 
friends and professors at the University of Kansas, lied to his family 
so he could fight fascists in the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. Then 
he died on his first day in combat. A quest, a cause and a death fit for
 the stage.

It took Nawrot about five years, but in September he 
released the first opera to take on Henry’s story. Nawrot's “Don Henry” 
is a four-part series <a href="https://donhenry.buzzsprout.com/" target="_blank">available on many podcast platforms</a>. Its sound straddles genres.

“I
 grew up listening to, you know, Prince and (Swedish metal band) 
Meshuggah, popular music,” Nawrot said. “So the music that I create, and
 the music that I play, kind of blends those two worlds.”

Poetry and historical documents, too, served as inspiration.

“The
 opera experts, I don't know if they're gonna call it an opera or not … I
 don't have a problem with it being called an opera or a rock opera or a
 concept album or whatever,” he added. “As long as they listen to it.”

“He was a religious boy,” Nawrot said. “He went to church and did all the normal things a young man in Kansas would do.”

<a href="https://union.ku.edu/donald-eugene-henry" target="_blank">A short history of Henry’s life</a>
 written by Brian Drake, formerly of KU’s history department, says Henry
 was an active Boy Scout, a member of his high school debate club, and a
 devoted Methodist who considered a career with the church after 
graduation.

“It came as a considerable surprise, then, when a 
front-page story in the University Daily Kansan on October 3, 1937, 
revealed that ‘flaxen-haired Don Henry’ had been killed in combat the 
month before, fighting in Spain with the left-wing Loyalists against 
right-wing Nationalist rebels led by General Francisco Franco,” Drake 
wrote.

According to that 1937 edition of KU’s student newspaper, 
Henry and another KU student had traveled to Spain four months earlier 
and joined what was called the <a href="https://alba-valb.org/" target="_blank">Abraham Lincoln Brigade</a>.

“This
 was at a time when Mussolini had come to power and then Hitler and then
 in Spain … there was the threat of Francisco Franco, who was another 
sort of racial nationalist figure,” said Nawrot. “So Don Henry and 
thousands of people from around the world, from everywhere around the 
world, became part of what's known now as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Brigades" target="_blank">International Brigades</a>.”

“He went to a foreign country to fight alongside people he's never 
met to stop an idea from spreading,” Nawrot said. “It gives me 
goosebumps to think about.”

News
 of Henry’s death set off a political firestorm when it reached his kin 
back in Kansas. Henry’s father blamed his son’s college experience for 
his decision to go to Spain and demanded KU’s chancellor, Ernest H. 
Lindley, launch an investigation.

Lindley’s personal inquiry was 
followed by a different investigation by the Kansas Board of Regents. 
Drake’s history says three Regents were told to look into “communistic 
activity” on campus. In turn, lawmakers in Topeka began their own probe 
into radicalism at KU. The Regents’ report eventually made its way to 
the the U.S. House of Representatives <a href="https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/don-henry/press-release.html" target="_blank">Special Committee on UnAmerican Activities</a>.

“I
 saw this story that was so close to where I was — not only in location,
 but in time, right?” Nawrot said. “His story was in the ‘30s … Our 
story is now, but a lot of the same things were happening, and a lot of 
the same fears and anxieties were happening among working people.”

To
 help push this narrative, and listeners, into the 21st century, 
Nawrot’s opera used what sounds at first like the prototypical cable 
news broadcast.

“I kind of thought it would be funny, to be 
honest,” he said. “What would it be like if Fox News or, you know, CNBC 
or one of these other 24-hour news channels covered the Spanish Civil 
War of the late 1930s?”

The result resembles some amalgam of conservative media personalities Megyn Kelly and Bill O’Rielly.

“These
 types of people, they're great actors. They're great performers. 
They're great speakers, and they're really selling a particular brand of
 politics,” Nawrot said. “But they're doing it, you know, in this really
 vaudevillian way.”

Nawrot’s libretto, or opera text, also derives from the Kansas Board of Regents report, poems written by members of the <a href="https://international-brigades.org.uk/" target="_blank">British International Brigade</a>, and a letter Henry sent to his family before his death revealing the nature of his trip to Spain.

“At
 the very end, he says, ‘Oh, by the way, P.S., can you send me some 
socks?’” Nawrot said. “It gives me chills to think that he was brave 
enough at a point in his maturity to do what he did, but to also still 
be so connected to his family.”

With his opera now released into the wild, Nawrot’s hope is to have it staged.

“I have plans,” he said, “but nobody else does.”

But he has a recording, and a proof of concept, to pitch.

“If
 I do meet somebody who, you know, has an opera company or knows 
somebody who has an opera company,” he said, “I could say, ‘Hey, I have 
the whole thing recorded. Here's the libretto, here's the score, and 
here's all the music.’ ”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667318025778.png" alt="The University of Kansas student ID of Donald Henry, a Dodge City native who died fighting in the Spanish Civil War. KU" />
 <figcaption>The University of Kansas student ID of Donald Henry, a Dodge City native who died fighting in the Spanish Civil War. KU</figcaption>
 </figure>By LUKE X. MARTIN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-10-28/a-new-rock-opera-tells-the-very-metal-story-of-a-kansas-college-student-who-died-fighting-fascism">Kansas News Service</a>Frank Narwot first learned of Don Henry’s short life and sacrifice 
while glancing over a trivia display at a Lawrence, Kansas, brewpub.“I read his story,” the <a href="https://franknawrot.com/" target="_blank">guitarist and music professor</a> at Wichita State University said, “and I was, like, ‘OK, I’ve got to write some music about this.”What
 a muse. A college kid from bucolic Dodge City, Kansas, radicalized by 
friends and professors at the University of Kansas, lied to his family 
so he could fight fascists in the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. Then 
he died on his first day in combat. A quest, a cause and a death fit for
 the stage.It took Nawrot about five years, but in September he 
released the first opera to take on Henry’s story. Nawrot's “Don Henry” 
is a four-part series <a href="https://donhenry.buzzsprout.com/" target="_blank">available on many podcast platforms</a>. Its sound straddles genres.“I
 grew up listening to, you know, Prince and (Swedish metal band) 
Meshuggah, popular music,” Nawrot said. “So the music that I create, and
 the music that I play, kind of blends those two worlds.”Poetry and historical documents, too, served as inspiration.“The
 opera experts, I don't know if they're gonna call it an opera or not … I
 don't have a problem with it being called an opera or a rock opera or a
 concept album or whatever,” he added. “As long as they listen to it.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667318100550.png" alt=""Don Henry" is guitarist and Wichita State University music professor Frank Nawrot's first opera. He first learned of Henry's story from a trivia card at a brewpub in Lawrence, Kansas." />
 <figcaption>"Don Henry" is guitarist and Wichita State University music professor Frank Nawrot's first opera. He first learned of Henry's story from a trivia card at a brewpub in Lawrence, Kansas.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>A Kansas boy</h2>The real-life Henry was born in 1917.“He was a religious boy,” Nawrot said. “He went to church and did all the normal things a young man in Kansas would do.”<a href="https://union.ku.edu/donald-eugene-henry" target="_blank">A short history of Henry’s life</a>
 written by Brian Drake, formerly of KU’s history department, says Henry
 was an active Boy Scout, a member of his high school debate club, and a
 devoted Methodist who considered a career with the church after 
graduation.“It came as a considerable surprise, then, when a 
front-page story in the University Daily Kansan on October 3, 1937, 
revealed that ‘flaxen-haired Don Henry’ had been killed in combat the 
month before, fighting in Spain with the left-wing Loyalists against 
right-wing Nationalist rebels led by General Francisco Franco,” Drake 
wrote.According to that 1937 edition of KU’s student newspaper, 
Henry and another KU student had traveled to Spain four months earlier 
and joined what was called the <a href="https://alba-valb.org/" target="_blank">Abraham Lincoln Brigade</a>.“This
 was at a time when Mussolini had come to power and then Hitler and then
 in Spain … there was the threat of Francisco Franco, who was another 
sort of racial nationalist figure,” said Nawrot. “So Don Henry and 
thousands of people from around the world, from everywhere around the 
world, became part of what's known now as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Brigades" target="_blank">International Brigades</a>.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667318133350.png" alt="Album art for Frank Nawrot's opera, "Don Henry." It is available to stream on many podcast platforms." />
 <figcaption>Album art for Frank Nawrot's opera, "Don Henry." It is available to stream on many podcast platforms.</figcaption>
 </figure>“He went to a foreign country to fight alongside people he's never 
met to stop an idea from spreading,” Nawrot said. “It gives me 
goosebumps to think about.” <h2>A red scare</h2>News
 of Henry’s death set off a political firestorm when it reached his kin 
back in Kansas. Henry’s father blamed his son’s college experience for 
his decision to go to Spain and demanded KU’s chancellor, Ernest H. 
Lindley, launch an investigation.Lindley’s personal inquiry was 
followed by a different investigation by the Kansas Board of Regents. 
Drake’s history says three Regents were told to look into “communistic 
activity” on campus. In turn, lawmakers in Topeka began their own probe 
into radicalism at KU. The Regents’ report eventually made its way to 
the the U.S. House of Representatives <a href="https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/don-henry/press-release.html" target="_blank">Special Committee on UnAmerican Activities</a>.“I
 saw this story that was so close to where I was — not only in location,
 but in time, right?” Nawrot said. “His story was in the ‘30s … Our 
story is now, but a lot of the same things were happening, and a lot of 
the same fears and anxieties were happening among working people.” <h2>An opera begat</h2>To
 help push this narrative, and listeners, into the 21st century, 
Nawrot’s opera used what sounds at first like the prototypical cable 
news broadcast.“I kind of thought it would be funny, to be 
honest,” he said. “What would it be like if Fox News or, you know, CNBC 
or one of these other 24-hour news channels covered the Spanish Civil 
War of the late 1930s?”The result resembles some amalgam of conservative media personalities Megyn Kelly and Bill O’Rielly.“These
 types of people, they're great actors. They're great performers. 
They're great speakers, and they're really selling a particular brand of
 politics,” Nawrot said. “But they're doing it, you know, in this really
 vaudevillian way.”Nawrot’s libretto, or opera text, also derives from the Kansas Board of Regents report, poems written by members of the <a href="https://international-brigades.org.uk/" target="_blank">British International Brigade</a>, and a letter Henry sent to his family before his death revealing the nature of his trip to Spain.“At
 the very end, he says, ‘Oh, by the way, P.S., can you send me some 
socks?’” Nawrot said. “It gives me chills to think that he was brave 
enough at a point in his maturity to do what he did, but to also still 
be so connected to his family.”With his opera now released into the wild, Nawrot’s hope is to have it staged.“I have plans,” he said, “but nobody else does.”But he has a recording, and a proof of concept, to pitch.“If
 I do meet somebody who, you know, has an opera company or knows 
somebody who has an opera company,” he said, “I could say, ‘Hey, I have 
the whole thing recorded. Here's the libretto, here's the score, and 
here's all the music.’ ”

Rock opera tells metal story of Kan. student who died fighting fascism

Rose I. Huff, age 81, passed away on Friday, 
November 4, 2022, at the Scott County Hospital in Scott City, Kansas.&nbsp; 
She was born on July 31, 1941, in Goodland, Kansas, the daughter of 
Roland &amp; Mary E. Tuttle Yehle.&nbsp; A resident of Scott City, Kansas 
since 2008 moving from Oakley, Kansas, she was a homemaker.

On October 3, 1960, she married Verle L. Huff in Oakley, Kansas.&nbsp; He survives.

Survivors include her Husband - Verle L. Huff of Scott City, Kansas, 
One Brother - Merle &amp; Nancy Yehle of North Attleborough, 
Massachusetts, and several nieces &amp; nephews.

She is preceded in death by her Parents, One Infant Sister - Betty Marie Yehle and One Brother - Keith Yehle.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, November 9, 
2022, at Price &amp; Sons Funeral Home, 401 S. Washington St., Scott 
City, Kansas, 67871 with Pastor Steve Payne presiding.

In Lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Rose Huff 
Memorial Fund in care of Price &amp; Sons Funeral Home, PO Box 553, 
Scott City, Kansas, 67871.

Visitation will be on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. until
 8:00 p.m. at Price &amp; Sons Funeral Home, 401 S. Washington St., 
Scott City, Kansas, 67871.

Graveside services will be held at 2:00 p.m. MT, Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at Wallace Cemetery in Wallace, Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667745949100.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Rose I. Huff, age 81, passed away on Friday, 
November 4, 2022, at the Scott County Hospital in Scott City, Kansas.&nbsp; 
She was born on July 31, 1941, in Goodland, Kansas, the daughter of 
Roland &amp; Mary E. Tuttle Yehle.&nbsp; A resident of Scott City, Kansas 
since 2008 moving from Oakley, Kansas, she was a homemaker.On October 3, 1960, she married Verle L. Huff in Oakley, Kansas.&nbsp; He survives.Survivors include her Husband - Verle L. Huff of Scott City, Kansas, 
One Brother - Merle &amp; Nancy Yehle of North Attleborough, 
Massachusetts, and several nieces &amp; nephews.She is preceded in death by her Parents, One Infant Sister - Betty Marie Yehle and One Brother - Keith Yehle.Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, November 9, 
2022, at Price &amp; Sons Funeral Home, 401 S. Washington St., Scott 
City, Kansas, 67871 with Pastor Steve Payne presiding.In Lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Rose Huff 
Memorial Fund in care of Price &amp; Sons Funeral Home, PO Box 553, 
Scott City, Kansas, 67871.Visitation will be on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. until
 8:00 p.m. at Price &amp; Sons Funeral Home, 401 S. Washington St., 
Scott City, Kansas, 67871.Graveside services will be held at 2:00 p.m. MT, Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at Wallace Cemetery in Wallace, Kansas.

Rose I. Huff

Carolyn S. Hawes, age 81, passed away Friday, November 4, 2022, at 
SunPorch in Smith Center, KS.  She was born October 12, 1941, in Smith 
Center, KS to Jack and Ethel (Rorabaugh) Kelley.  She was a homemaker.

She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother Roger Kelley.

Survivors
 include daughter Crystal (Doug) Roberts of Ashland, KS;   son Kelly 
Smith of Kensington, KS;   sister Linda Carnes;   sister-in-law Connie 
Kelley;&nbsp; 1 grandchild, many nieces and nephews.

Click <a href="https://www.rfmortuaries.com/obituaries/Carolyn-S-Hawes?obId=26293094#/celebrationWall">HERE</a> for service details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667745746242.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Carolyn S. Hawes, age 81, passed away Friday, November 4, 2022, at 
SunPorch in Smith Center, KS. She was born October 12, 1941, in Smith 
Center, KS to Jack and Ethel (Rorabaugh) Kelley. She was a homemaker.She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother Roger Kelley.Survivors
 include daughter Crystal (Doug) Roberts of Ashland, KS; son Kelly 
Smith of Kensington, KS; sister Linda Carnes; sister-in-law Connie 
Kelley;&nbsp; 1 grandchild, many nieces and nephews.Click <a href="https://www.rfmortuaries.com/obituaries/Carolyn-S-Hawes?obId=26293094#/celebrationWall">HERE</a> for service details.

Carolyn S. Hawes

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A mailer to voters across Kansas suggests removing state Supreme Court justices in Tuesday's election would protect access to abortion, when abortion rights advocates want to keep them on the bench.

The mailer's return address says it is from VMCF Inc., of Lenexa, a Kansas City suburb. For a brief time in October, that was the legal name of a charitable foundation run by a prominent Republican direct mail firm's owner, state records show.

One side says “Kansans pushed back” against the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in late June to overturn Roe v. Wade. Voters in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively rejected</a>&nbsp;a proposed anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution. The mailer includes the logo of the pro-amendment side with a red “X” through it.

The mailer's opposite side urges no votes Tuesday on retaining state Supreme Court justices. Six of the seven justices are on the ballot for yes-or-no votes on whether they stay on the bench another six years.

“LET THEM HEAR YOU AGAIN!” the mailer says under a bigger “NO!”

Abortion rights groups want to retain the justices, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-topeka-government-and-politics-e6e0ddbbb45e99deef0165eb16576c5d">Kansans for Life, the state's most influential anti-abortion group,</a>&nbsp;wants to oust five of the six. The court in 2019 ruled that access to abortion is a “fundamental” right under the Kansas Constitution, spurring GOP legislators to push the proposed anti-abortion amendment.

“It's clearly designed to misinform,” said state Rep. Stephanie Clayton, a Kansas City-area Democrat, whose daughter was sent a mailer.

An online state records search for VMCF brought up documents for the nonprofit Van Meteren Charitable Foundation Inc. and showed that it switched from the longer name to the shorter one on Oct. 24 and back on Oct. 31.

Its 2021 annual report listed the same address as the return address on the mailer. Its only officer was Kristian Van Meteren, who owns the The Singularis Group direct mail firm, also in the Kansas City area. He did not immediately return telephone messages Friday seeking comment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667686694232.png" alt="&nbsp; The mailer includes the logo of the pro-amendment side with a red “X” through it(Kansas Reflector illustration from submitted photos)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp; The mailer includes the logo of the pro-amendment side with a red “X” through it(Kansas Reflector illustration from submitted photos)</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A mailer to voters across Kansas suggests removing state Supreme Court justices in Tuesday's election would protect access to abortion, when abortion rights advocates want to keep them on the bench.The mailer's return address says it is from VMCF Inc., of Lenexa, a Kansas City suburb. For a brief time in October, that was the legal name of a charitable foundation run by a prominent Republican direct mail firm's owner, state records show.One side says “Kansans pushed back” against the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in late June to overturn Roe v. Wade. Voters in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively rejected</a>&nbsp;a proposed anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution. The mailer includes the logo of the pro-amendment side with a red “X” through it.The mailer's opposite side urges no votes Tuesday on retaining state Supreme Court justices. Six of the seven justices are on the ballot for yes-or-no votes on whether they stay on the bench another six years.“LET THEM HEAR YOU AGAIN!” the mailer says under a bigger “NO!”Abortion rights groups want to retain the justices, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-topeka-government-and-politics-e6e0ddbbb45e99deef0165eb16576c5d">Kansans for Life, the state's most influential anti-abortion group,</a>&nbsp;wants to oust five of the six. The court in 2019 ruled that access to abortion is a “fundamental” right under the Kansas Constitution, spurring GOP legislators to push the proposed anti-abortion amendment.“It's clearly designed to misinform,” said state Rep. Stephanie Clayton, a Kansas City-area Democrat, whose daughter was sent a mailer.An online state records search for VMCF brought up documents for the nonprofit Van Meteren Charitable Foundation Inc. and showed that it switched from the longer name to the shorter one on Oct. 24 and back on Oct. 31.Its 2021 annual report listed the same address as the return address on the mailer. Its only officer was Kristian Van Meteren, who owns the The Singularis Group direct mail firm, also in the Kansas City area. He did not immediately return telephone messages Friday seeking comment.___

Mailer on abortion, top Kansas court described as deceptive

Megan Shepard, Fort Hays State University senior, will be awarded a certificate and scholarship for her research-based poster in November. Shepard’s poster, titled “Formal and Informal Social Support Matter: Addressing the Needs of Rural Survivors of IPV" (Intimate Partner Violence), was announced as the award recipient of the Division of Women &amp; Crime Undergraduate Student Paper and Poster Competition in October.&nbsp;

The award and scholarship will be presented to Shepard during the American Society of Criminology annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia, on Nov. 18.&nbsp;

Shepard is a sociology major and an undergraduate student researcher at the Center for Empowering Victims of Gender-based Violence. She is currently working with Dr. Ziwei Qi, assistant professor of criminal justice, to create another poster that will focus on the incarceration of women who have experienced gender-based violence.&nbsp;

Originally from Kinsley, Shepard has long been passionate about issues surrounding incarceration and gender-based violence. She has worked for the Kansas Department of Corrections and Larned Correctional Facility, where she served as the prison rape elimination act coordinator.

“I have had friends and former co-workers who have died from gender-based violence,” Shepard said. “Coming from a rural area, I’ve seen these issues up close, and I know the resources aren’t there.”

“People need help. It’s not an individual problem. It’s a community problem.”

During her time at FHSU, Shepard has dived deeply into research, writing a book chapter with Qi and creating research posters. She will graduate in May 2023 and plans to continue her work with women who are incarcerated.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667416987097.jpeg" alt="Shepard" />
 <figcaption>Shepard</figcaption>
 </figure>FHSU University CommunicationsMegan Shepard, Fort Hays State University senior, will be awarded a certificate and scholarship for her research-based poster in November. Shepard’s poster, titled “Formal and Informal Social Support Matter: Addressing the Needs of Rural Survivors of IPV" (Intimate Partner Violence), was announced as the award recipient of the Division of Women &amp; Crime Undergraduate Student Paper and Poster Competition in October.&nbsp;The award and scholarship will be presented to Shepard during the American Society of Criminology annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia, on Nov. 18.&nbsp;Shepard is a sociology major and an undergraduate student researcher at the Center for Empowering Victims of Gender-based Violence. She is currently working with Dr. Ziwei Qi, assistant professor of criminal justice, to create another poster that will focus on the incarceration of women who have experienced gender-based violence.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667417139917.jpeg" alt="Dr. Ziwei Qi" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Ziwei Qi</figcaption>
 </figure>Originally from Kinsley, Shepard has long been passionate about issues surrounding incarceration and gender-based violence. She has worked for the Kansas Department of Corrections and Larned Correctional Facility, where she served as the prison rape elimination act coordinator.“I have had friends and former co-workers who have died from gender-based violence,” Shepard said. “Coming from a rural area, I’ve seen these issues up close, and I know the resources aren’t there.”“People need help. It’s not an individual problem. It’s a community problem.”During her time at FHSU, Shepard has dived deeply into research, writing a book chapter with Qi and creating research posters. She will graduate in May 2023 and plans to continue her work with women who are incarcerated.

FHSU senior earns honors, scholarship in criminology poster contest

By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;

In this case, I’m not referring to the temperature. HOTT is an acronym for Hispanics Of Today and Tomorrow, an organization that is working to promote higher education opportunities for Hispanic students in the Emporia area.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Rebeca Herrera and Patricia Saenz-Reyes of Emporia are active in&nbsp;Hispanics Of Today and Tomorrow. Rebeca is of Spanish and Mexican descent and grew up in Atlanta.&nbsp;

“Moving from&nbsp;a large metropolitan city in the east to the great plains of the Midwest was a culture shock,” she said. “I have now been in Emporia for four years. This wonderful community has welcomed me with open arms.”&nbsp;

She is now&nbsp;membership director at the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce.&nbsp;

Saenz-Reyes is a self-described “border baby,” born in El Paso. Her mother is an American citizen and her father is Mexican. Patricia went to school in Juarez, Mexico until the 9th grade when she transferred to El Paso to continue her education.&nbsp;

Her career took her to west Texas where she was an insurance executive before coming to Emporia. Now she is the migrant community resource coordinator and student and family resource specialist with the Emporia school district.&nbsp;

“HOTT started in 1999 with just six members,” Saenz-Reyes said. “People saw there was a need for more support for Hispanic students to continue into higher education.”&nbsp;

Emporia, at the crossroads of Interstates 35 and 335, has long been a major location for significant employers. “Actually, it goes back to the 1930s when the Santa Fe railroad was needing workers,” Saenz-Reyes said. The 1960s saw large beef packing operations and other manufacturers come to Emporia. Job opportunities attracted a diverse workforce.&nbsp;

According to data from the Emporia school district, in 1992 Hispanics made up 11.3% of the student population. By 2022, that number was 47.5%.&nbsp;

HOTT members sought to enhance scholarship opportunities for Hispanic youth. They developed two big festivals to raise funds for scholarships. One is Cinco de Mayo in the spring, and the other is Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, in the fall.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Both events involve lots of food and fun. “All of the proceeds from our fried taco sales go to the scholarships,” Herrera said. “It’s super nice to see our community embracing our culture.”&nbsp;

Cinco de Mayo is, of course, held on the fifth of May. It commemorates Mexican history and culture.&nbsp;

Day of the Dead occurs in late October, but is not a Halloween event. “It is more of a spiritual day to celebrate those who have passed,” Saenz-Reyes said. “We bring out shrines, light candles, and prepare favorite foods of our departed loved ones.”&nbsp;

In Emporia, Day of the Dead is a day-long festival, featuring Latino artists, games, prizes and a downtown parade.&nbsp;&nbsp;Who emcees the parade? Rebeca Herrera and Patricia Saenz-Reyes. As many as 3,000 people attend this event.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Not only are these events unifying for Emporia, they also bring together diverse groups within the Hispanic community itself. “People may assume that all Hispanics are from Mexico, but we have people here from Central and South America, Cuba and Puerto Rico,” Saenz-Reyes said. “There are also international students at Emporia State (University).”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Together, these events have raised $100,000 for scholarships. What’s more, Emporia State University and Flint Hills Technical College will match them. That’s remarkable in a rural community like Emporia, population 24,139 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;

One of the scholarship recipients was Omar Herrera, who used his scholarship to help earn a masters degree in architecture at K-State. Omar is now Rebeca’s husband. He serves as&nbsp;the facility planner project manager with university facilities at Emporia State University.&nbsp;

“I love the diversity of Latinos in Emporia and how much this small rural town has to offer,” Rebeca Herrera said.&nbsp;For more information, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hottfiesta.com/">www.hottfiesta.com</a>.&nbsp;

Emporia is HOTT – not the temperature, but the organization known as Hispanics Of Today and Tomorrow. We saluteRebeca Herrera and Patricia Saenz-Reyes for making a difference with their cross-cultural communication.&nbsp;&nbsp;I think this is HOTT stuff.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667394386523.png" alt="Rebeca Herrera and Patricia Saenz-Reyes" />
 <figcaption>Rebeca Herrera and Patricia Saenz-Reyes</figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;Emporia is HOTT.&nbsp;In this case, I’m not referring to the temperature. HOTT is an acronym for Hispanics Of Today and Tomorrow, an organization that is working to promote higher education opportunities for Hispanic students in the Emporia area.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Rebeca Herrera and Patricia Saenz-Reyes of Emporia are active in&nbsp;Hispanics Of Today and Tomorrow. Rebeca is of Spanish and Mexican descent and grew up in Atlanta.&nbsp;“Moving from&nbsp;a large metropolitan city in the east to the great plains of the Midwest was a culture shock,” she said. “I have now been in Emporia for four years. This wonderful community has welcomed me with open arms.”&nbsp;She is now&nbsp;membership director at the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce.&nbsp;Saenz-Reyes is a self-described “border baby,” born in El Paso. Her mother is an American citizen and her father is Mexican. Patricia went to school in Juarez, Mexico until the 9th grade when she transferred to El Paso to continue her education.&nbsp;Her career took her to west Texas where she was an insurance executive before coming to Emporia. Now she is the migrant community resource coordinator and student and family resource specialist with the Emporia school district.&nbsp;“HOTT started in 1999 with just six members,” Saenz-Reyes said. “People saw there was a need for more support for Hispanic students to continue into higher education.”&nbsp;Emporia, at the crossroads of Interstates 35 and 335, has long been a major location for significant employers. “Actually, it goes back to the 1930s when the Santa Fe railroad was needing workers,” Saenz-Reyes said. The 1960s saw large beef packing operations and other manufacturers come to Emporia. Job opportunities attracted a diverse workforce.&nbsp;According to data from the Emporia school district, in 1992 Hispanics made up 11.3% of the student population. By 2022, that number was 47.5%.&nbsp;HOTT members sought to enhance scholarship opportunities for Hispanic youth. They developed two big festivals to raise funds for scholarships. One is Cinco de Mayo in the spring, and the other is Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, in the fall.&nbsp;&nbsp;Both events involve lots of food and fun. “All of the proceeds from our fried taco sales go to the scholarships,” Herrera said. “It’s super nice to see our community embracing our culture.”&nbsp;Cinco de Mayo is, of course, held on the fifth of May. It commemorates Mexican history and culture.&nbsp;Day of the Dead occurs in late October, but is not a Halloween event. “It is more of a spiritual day to celebrate those who have passed,” Saenz-Reyes said. “We bring out shrines, light candles, and prepare favorite foods of our departed loved ones.”&nbsp;In Emporia, Day of the Dead is a day-long festival, featuring Latino artists, games, prizes and a downtown parade.&nbsp;&nbsp;Who emcees the parade? Rebeca Herrera and Patricia Saenz-Reyes. As many as 3,000 people attend this event.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Not only are these events unifying for Emporia, they also bring together diverse groups within the Hispanic community itself. “People may assume that all Hispanics are from Mexico, but we have people here from Central and South America, Cuba and Puerto Rico,” Saenz-Reyes said. “There are also international students at Emporia State (University).”&nbsp;&nbsp;Together, these events have raised $100,000 for scholarships. What’s more, Emporia State University and Flint Hills Technical College will match them. That’s remarkable in a rural community like Emporia, population 24,139 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;One of the scholarship recipients was Omar Herrera, who used his scholarship to help earn a masters degree in architecture at K-State. Omar is now Rebeca’s husband. He serves as&nbsp;the facility planner project manager with university facilities at Emporia State University.&nbsp;“I love the diversity of Latinos in Emporia and how much this small rural town has to offer,” Rebeca Herrera said.&nbsp;For more information, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hottfiesta.com/">www.hottfiesta.com</a>.&nbsp;Emporia is HOTT – not the temperature, but the organization known as Hispanics Of Today and Tomorrow. We saluteRebeca Herrera and Patricia Saenz-Reyes for making a difference with their cross-cultural communication.&nbsp;&nbsp;I think this is HOTT stuff.&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural: Herrera, Seanz-Reyes – Emporia HOTT 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Both major parties say the Kansas governor's race is a tossup in its last days as abortion politics, lingering ill will toward former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and an independent conservative candidate make for a tighter-than-expected contest in the Republican-leaning state.

Democratic incumbent Gov. Laura Kelly should be on the defensive as the only Democratic governor in the U.S. running for reelection in a state carried by former President Donald Trump in 2020. But a decisive statewide vote in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">affirming abortion rights</a>&nbsp;energized Democrats and moderates and boosted Kelly's chance of holding the votes crucial to her victory four years ago.

GOP challenger Derek Schmidt hopes to tap voter frustration with inflation and crime. Kelly has largely stayed on a message that Kansas is financially healthy again after past budget woes tied to Brownback, with Schmidt a key political ally.

“I am more confident than I have been,” said Joan Wagnon, a former Kansas Democratic Party chair and ex-Topeka mayor.

Schmidt, the state’s three-term attorney general, is ending his campaign on the attack with “Kansas Can Do Better” rallies around the state. Kelly allies closed with a “Back on Track, Can’t Go Back” tour.

“It’s not that I ignore national issues. You know, I understand that inflation is an issue,” Kelly told reporters after a recent event in Topeka. “But I think people in the state of Kansas want me to focus on the things that I actually have some control over.”

Many Republicans' early expectations of a comfortable victory for Schmidt faded months ago. Yet for all the unexpected sweating, Republicans still think Schmidt can bank&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-business-congress-689603a0b0446c3568fe96270c7b3c7b">on national GOP midterm momentum.</a>

“Folks are working hard, making things happen in their community, and frustrated with the Biden-Kelly Democrat philosophy that values big government over freedom,” Schmidt posted on Facebook after one small-town event this week.

Kelly has spent more than $7 million on her reelection, roughly twice as much as Schmidt through late October. Outside groups have boosted the spending on television ads past $40 million.

Schmidt's hopes rest in part on energy from the August abortion vote fading, something some abortion rights advocates said they've felt. Schmidt supported the measure on the ballot, a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution to allow the GOP-controlled Legislature to greatly restrict or ban abortion. Kelly opposed it, but she hasn't focused on abortion access as an issue.

Turnout so far among people voting in advance is higher than for the August election, which set a record for a Kansas primary. Yet it's also lower than in November 2018, when Democrats tapped suburban discontent with Trump and the Republican nominee for governor was Kris Kobach, known nationally as an immigration and election fraud provocateur.

Schmidt joined Republicans nationwide in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-health-police-covid-campaigns-13d5f83a6604df1bc6a33779fa159e93">pivoting to crime</a>&nbsp;last month, though the state recently reported a small decrease in violent crime in 2021 compared with 2020. He pointed to Kelly's appointment of a racial justice commission and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-police-campaigns-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-6ce47fee06c05f2e4309f2b581543f45">her comments that systemic racism is a problem</a>&nbsp;in law enforcement to suggest that she's anti-police.

Republicans pounded Kelly with ads over her two vetoes of two&nbsp;<a>proposals to ban transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;from girls’ and women’s school, club and college sports. Schmidt also attacked Kelly over state-administered grants to arts venues that later hosted drag shows, which have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-a26e7eee15df0bbc2bb98071b683b1f4">a bugaboo for the right</a>&nbsp;across the U.S. for months.

Kansas registration benefits Republicans, who represent 44.7% of those registered statewide. Unaffiliated voters, at 27.8%, beat out Democrats at 26.5%.

“A lot people are just pretty fed up with government in general, especially the Trump folks,” said Tim Shallenburger, a former state treasurer and Kansas Republican Party chair. “Biden has got them motivated, not Laura Kelly, or not Derek Schmidt.”

Yet for all of the playing to issues that rile Republicans, Shallenburger said, “I don't see a landslide brewing.”

Independent state Sen. Dennis Pyle is one reason. He is a former Republican and one of the state's most conservative legislators and is attacking Schmidt from the right. Pyle raised only $90,000 in cash as of late October, but an outside Democratic group aired radio ads, sent mailers and texted messages in the campaign's final weeks portraying Pyle as the true conservative and Schmidt as a poser.

Republicans were outraged. The Democratic group jumped in to help Pyle after Kelly built much of her message on an argument that Schmidt represented a return to a recent conservative past.

Kelly and her allies attacked Schmidt for standing politically with Brownback and not protesting a failed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/55bdc6299b9a4a69b83b7dc060c17b72">2012-13 experiment in cutting taxes</a>&nbsp;under Brownback that was followed by persistent budget shortfalls.

Legislators repealed most of the tax-cutting experiment in 2017, and Kelly is making much of the state's improved finances on her watch. The state treasury is flush, with tax collections exceeding expectations every month for more than two years.

Kelly's office also publicizes projects like plans for a new biotechnology lab in the Kansas City area and the planned expansion of a pizza manufacturing plant in Salina, some 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Topeka.

Kelly joined other dignitaries this week in donning hard hats and digging up the first few shovelfuls of earth for a multibillion-dollar Panasonic Corp. plant in the Kansas City area for making batteries for electric vehicles.

Pat McFerron, an Oklahoma based-pollster and consultant working in Kansas for U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, said he's seeing Republicans “kind of come back home" in recent weeks.

But he added, "There is the power of incumbency,” McFerron said. “That’s unequivocal.”

By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Both major parties say the Kansas governor's race is a tossup in its last days as abortion politics, lingering ill will toward former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and an independent conservative candidate make for a tighter-than-expected contest in the Republican-leaning state.Democratic incumbent Gov. Laura Kelly should be on the defensive as the only Democratic governor in the U.S. running for reelection in a state carried by former President Donald Trump in 2020. But a decisive statewide vote in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">affirming abortion rights</a>&nbsp;energized Democrats and moderates and boosted Kelly's chance of holding the votes crucial to her victory four years ago.GOP challenger Derek Schmidt hopes to tap voter frustration with inflation and crime. Kelly has largely stayed on a message that Kansas is financially healthy again after past budget woes tied to Brownback, with Schmidt a key political ally.“I am more confident than I have been,” said Joan Wagnon, a former Kansas Democratic Party chair and ex-Topeka mayor.Schmidt, the state’s three-term attorney general, is ending his campaign on the attack with “Kansas Can Do Better” rallies around the state. Kelly allies closed with a “Back on Track, Can’t Go Back” tour.“It’s not that I ignore national issues. You know, I understand that inflation is an issue,” Kelly told reporters after a recent event in Topeka. “But I think people in the state of Kansas want me to focus on the things that I actually have some control over.”Many Republicans' early expectations of a comfortable victory for Schmidt faded months ago. Yet for all the unexpected sweating, Republicans still think Schmidt can bank&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-donald-trump-business-congress-689603a0b0446c3568fe96270c7b3c7b">on national GOP midterm momentum.</a>“Folks are working hard, making things happen in their community, and frustrated with the Biden-Kelly Democrat philosophy that values big government over freedom,” Schmidt posted on Facebook after one small-town event this week.Kelly has spent more than $7 million on her reelection, roughly twice as much as Schmidt through late October. Outside groups have boosted the spending on television ads past $40 million.Schmidt's hopes rest in part on energy from the August abortion vote fading, something some abortion rights advocates said they've felt. Schmidt supported the measure on the ballot, a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution to allow the GOP-controlled Legislature to greatly restrict or ban abortion. Kelly opposed it, but she hasn't focused on abortion access as an issue.Turnout so far among people voting in advance is higher than for the August election, which set a record for a Kansas primary. Yet it's also lower than in November 2018, when Democrats tapped suburban discontent with Trump and the Republican nominee for governor was Kris Kobach, known nationally as an immigration and election fraud provocateur.Schmidt joined Republicans nationwide in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-health-police-covid-campaigns-13d5f83a6604df1bc6a33779fa159e93">pivoting to crime</a>&nbsp;last month, though the state recently reported a small decrease in violent crime in 2021 compared with 2020. He pointed to Kelly's appointment of a racial justice commission and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-police-campaigns-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-6ce47fee06c05f2e4309f2b581543f45">her comments that systemic racism is a problem</a>&nbsp;in law enforcement to suggest that she's anti-police.Republicans pounded Kelly with ads over her two vetoes of two&nbsp;<a>proposals to ban transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;from girls’ and women’s school, club and college sports. Schmidt also attacked Kelly over state-administered grants to arts venues that later hosted drag shows, which have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-a26e7eee15df0bbc2bb98071b683b1f4">a bugaboo for the right</a>&nbsp;across the U.S. for months.Kansas registration benefits Republicans, who represent 44.7% of those registered statewide. Unaffiliated voters, at 27.8%, beat out Democrats at 26.5%.“A lot people are just pretty fed up with government in general, especially the Trump folks,” said Tim Shallenburger, a former state treasurer and Kansas Republican Party chair. “Biden has got them motivated, not Laura Kelly, or not Derek Schmidt.”Yet for all of the playing to issues that rile Republicans, Shallenburger said, “I don't see a landslide brewing.”Independent state Sen. Dennis Pyle is one reason. He is a former Republican and one of the state's most conservative legislators and is attacking Schmidt from the right. Pyle raised only $90,000 in cash as of late October, but an outside Democratic group aired radio ads, sent mailers and texted messages in the campaign's final weeks portraying Pyle as the true conservative and Schmidt as a poser.Republicans were outraged. The Democratic group jumped in to help Pyle after Kelly built much of her message on an argument that Schmidt represented a return to a recent conservative past.Kelly and her allies attacked Schmidt for standing politically with Brownback and not protesting a failed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/55bdc6299b9a4a69b83b7dc060c17b72">2012-13 experiment in cutting taxes</a>&nbsp;under Brownback that was followed by persistent budget shortfalls.Legislators repealed most of the tax-cutting experiment in 2017, and Kelly is making much of the state's improved finances on her watch. The state treasury is flush, with tax collections exceeding expectations every month for more than two years.Kelly's office also publicizes projects like plans for a new biotechnology lab in the Kansas City area and the planned expansion of a pizza manufacturing plant in Salina, some 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Topeka.Kelly joined other dignitaries this week in donning hard hats and digging up the first few shovelfuls of earth for a multibillion-dollar Panasonic Corp. plant in the Kansas City area for making batteries for electric vehicles.Pat McFerron, an Oklahoma based-pollster and consultant working in Kansas for U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, said he's seeing Republicans “kind of come back home" in recent weeks.But he added, "There is the power of incumbency,” McFerron said. “That’s unequivocal.”

Kansas governor's race is close after abortion upheaval

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

Behind the badge of one of Hays' finest is a champion skeet shooter and a woman who dreams of someday being an Olympian.

Erin Escritt, 25, moved to Hays to join the police department in May 2021.

Originally from Minnesota, Escritt has been shooting since she was 12 and shooting skeet since she was 17.

Escritt first came to skeet shooting through 4-H. She shot trap on her high school team. During her senior year, Minnesota introduced skeet competitions.

She was a member of the shooting team for Concordia University in Seward, Neb. She shot all four years as an undergrad and was a graduate assistant coach while she completed her master's degree. Shooting sports did not become a varsity sport at Concordia until her senior year.

She continued with her competitive shooting after graduation, including competing internationally in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 

During her latest competition Oct. 3 to 6 at the World Skeet Championships in San Antonio, she shot 149 of 150 targets, tying for second place. She placed third after she lost a shoot-off.

In her class, she placed fourth in .410 and placed fourth in the HOA, which is a combination of the four events based on gun gauges — 12 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge and .410. She shot 438 out of 450 targets.

Skeet was a competition that originated from hunting birds. The early competitions actually used live quail, Escritt said. Live fowl have been replaced with clay targets. 

In U.S. competitions, shooters have their guns premounted at their shoulders when the clay target is released.

However, Escritt dreams of eventually qualifying for the Olympics. In international competitions, shooters start with their guns at their belly button and mount them to their shoulders after the target is released. 

The clay targets are fired at a faster velocity — about 10 to 20 mph faster than a standard target. 

In order to qualify for the Olympic team, you have to earn points by shooting at both the national and international levels. 

"I think it would be tight to do 2024," she said of qualifying for the Olympics. "I don't have enough points to do it. 2028 is where I am hoping. ... I think that is a route I can manageably do."

Ammunition and travel are both expensive. Most of the competitors at the international level are sponsored and are basically competing as professionals. 

The local sportsmen's club doesn't offer the setup Escritt needs to practice for international competitions, so she and her husband, who is a trap shooter, drive to Grand Island, Neb., to practice.

At her height, Escritt was shooting three or four times and week, but based on finances and her work schedule she's down to once or twice a week. She usually shoots four or five boxes of shells at a time (100 to 125 shots). A box of shells costs about $10.

Escritt came to be a transplant to Hays through her husband.

Her husband, Cody, was on the Fort Hays State University shooting team and now is a volunteer coach for the team. The couple decided to settle in Hays after they both graduated from college.

Erin's father is in law enforcement. She studied biology, chemistry and forensic science in college. Her master's degree is in business administration. However, she decided she would much rather work with people than in a lab.

She applied and received a job with the Hays Police Department.

"I've always wanted to be a police officer," she said. "My dad is currently still a police officer in Minnesota. I fell in love with it."

She said being an officer has been one of the best jobs she has ever had. She said she enjoys the connections she makes in the community.

"I get to deal with everyone. Sadly enough I get to deal with them on their worst days," Escritt said, "but I can still bring joy to some people and talk to them like human beings and have a connection with them.

"Everything is different. I have never gone into the same situation in the exact same way. Everyone always reacts differently and has different conservations. I love it."

However, it's not an easy profession, she said.

"You go on the worst days of people's lives, and you get to see that stress in people. You try to make the best of the situation."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667595106400.jpeg" alt="Erin Escritt, 25, of Hays competes nationally and internationally as a skeet shooter. She has worked for the Hays Police Department since May 2021. Courtesy photo " />
 <figcaption>Erin Escritt, 25, of Hays competes nationally and internationally as a skeet shooter. She has worked for the Hays Police Department since May 2021. Courtesy photo </figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostBehind the badge of one of Hays' finest is a champion skeet shooter and a woman who dreams of someday being an Olympian. Erin Escritt, 25, moved to Hays to join the police department in May 2021. Originally from Minnesota, Escritt has been shooting since she was 12 and shooting skeet since she was 17. Escritt first came to skeet shooting through 4-H. She shot trap on her high school team. During her senior year, Minnesota introduced skeet competitions. She was a member of the shooting team for Concordia University in Seward, Neb. She shot all four years as an undergrad and was a graduate assistant coach while she completed her master's degree. Shooting sports did not become a varsity sport at Concordia until her senior year.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667595194679.jpeg" alt="Erin Escritt of Hays, right, placed third at the World Skeet Championships in October in San Antonio. She shot 149 of 150 clays. Courtesy photo " />
 <figcaption>Erin Escritt of Hays, right, placed third at the World Skeet Championships in October in San Antonio. She shot 149 of 150 clays. Courtesy photo </figcaption>
 </figure>She continued with her competitive shooting after graduation, including competing internationally in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. During her latest competition Oct. 3 to 6 at the World Skeet Championships in San Antonio, she shot 149 of 150 targets, tying for second place. She placed third after she lost a shoot-off.In her class, she placed fourth in .410 and placed fourth in the HOA, which is a combination of the four events based on gun gauges — 12 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge and .410. She shot 438 out of 450 targets.Skeet was a competition that originated from hunting birds. The early competitions actually used live quail, Escritt said. Live fowl have been replaced with clay targets. In U.S. competitions, shooters have their guns premounted at their shoulders when the clay target is released.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667595236136.jpeg" alt="Escritt still shoots once or twice a week, practicing for competitions. She said her employer, the Hays Police Department, has supported her pursuit of the sport. Courtesy photo. " />
 <figcaption>Escritt still shoots once or twice a week, practicing for competitions. She said her employer, the Hays Police Department, has supported her pursuit of the sport. Courtesy photo. </figcaption>
 </figure>However, Escritt dreams of eventually qualifying for the Olympics. In international competitions, shooters start with their guns at their belly button and mount them to their shoulders after the target is released. The clay targets are fired at a faster velocity — about 10 to 20 mph faster than a standard target. In order to qualify for the Olympic team, you have to earn points by shooting at both the national and international levels. "I think it would be tight to do 2024," she said of qualifying for the Olympics. "I don't have enough points to do it. 2028 is where I am hoping. ... I think that is a route I can manageably do." Ammunition and travel are both expensive. Most of the competitors at the international level are sponsored and are basically competing as professionals. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667595281741.jpeg" alt="Escritt dreams of making the Olympic shooting team by the 2028 games, which will be in Los Angeles. Courtesy photo " />
 <figcaption>Escritt dreams of making the Olympic shooting team by the 2028 games, which will be in Los Angeles. Courtesy photo </figcaption>
 </figure>The local sportsmen's club doesn't offer the setup Escritt needs to practice for international competitions, so she and her husband, who is a trap shooter, drive to Grand Island, Neb., to practice. At her height, Escritt was shooting three or four times and week, but based on finances and her work schedule she's down to once or twice a week. She usually shoots four or five boxes of shells at a time (100 to 125 shots). A box of shells costs about $10.Escritt came to be a transplant to Hays through her husband. Her husband, Cody, was on the Fort Hays State University shooting team and now is a volunteer coach for the team. The couple decided to settle in Hays after they both graduated from college.Erin's father is in law enforcement. She studied biology, chemistry and forensic science in college. Her master's degree is in business administration. However, she decided she would much rather work with people than in a lab.She applied and received a job with the Hays Police Department. "I've always wanted to be a police officer," she said. "My dad is currently still a police officer in Minnesota. I fell in love with it."She said being an officer has been one of the best jobs she has ever had. She said she enjoys the connections she makes in the community."I get to deal with everyone. Sadly enough I get to deal with them on their worst days," Escritt said, "but I can still bring joy to some people and talk to them like human beings and have a connection with them."Everything is different. I have never gone into the same situation in the exact same way. Everyone always reacts differently and has different conservations. I love it."However, it's not an easy profession, she said. "You go on the worst days of people's lives, and you get to see that stress in people. You try to make the best of the situation."

Hays police officer, champion skeet shooter dreams of Olympics

By LAAH TUCKER Lions Club

Natoma Lions Club continues to join the annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest for youth.

The art contest for students, ages 11, 12, and 13, encourage their creativity in expressing a "vision for peace" through yearly themes.

The 2022 theme, "Lead with Compassion," gave Natoma USD 399 students inspiration for their art.

Each year their teachers and Lion members encourage the fifth- and sixth-grade students to participate in the artistic competition.

The Natoma club judged posters on originality, artistic merit and expression of the theme in October.

Winning posters advance through several judging levels: local, district, multiple districts and international.

Millions of children from almost 100 countries have participated in the contest for more than 25 years.

The Natoma Lions Club continues to provide great opportunities for youth through the Peace Poster contest; high school Kansas Highway Patrol Law Enforcement Academy and Kansas Boys State, graduating senior scholarships to college of choice; Diabetes Awareness; eyeglasses for elementary and secondary students.

For information on the Lions Club in Natoma, contact Terry Tucker, president, at 785-885-8075. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667337973647.jpeg" alt="The International Lions Club Peace Poster Contest provided Natoma USD 399 students inspiration to create their vision of the Lions International theme, "Compassion." Natoma Lion members joined in the judging with winners to be announced in a school assembly: (L-R) Lion member Beverly Hachmeister, Corrinne Masters, David Kertz, Terry Tucker and Margorie Kertz. Photo by Laah Tucker" />
 <figcaption>The International Lions Club Peace Poster Contest provided Natoma USD 399 students inspiration to create their vision of the Lions International theme, "Compassion." Natoma Lion members joined in the judging with winners to be announced in a school assembly: (L-R) Lion member Beverly Hachmeister, Corrinne Masters, David Kertz, Terry Tucker and Margorie Kertz. Photo by Laah Tucker</figcaption>
 </figure>By LAAH TUCKER Lions Club Natoma Lions Club continues to join the annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest for youth.The art contest for students, ages 11, 12, and 13, encourage their creativity in expressing a "vision for peace" through yearly themes.The 2022 theme, "Lead with Compassion," gave Natoma USD 399 students inspiration for their art.Each year their teachers and Lion members encourage the fifth- and sixth-grade students to participate in the artistic competition.The Natoma club judged posters on originality, artistic merit and expression of the theme in October.Winning posters advance through several judging levels: local, district, multiple districts and international.Millions of children from almost 100 countries have participated in the contest for more than 25 years.The Natoma Lions Club continues to provide great opportunities for youth through the Peace Poster contest; high school Kansas Highway Patrol Law Enforcement Academy and Kansas Boys State, graduating senior scholarships to college of choice; Diabetes Awareness; eyeglasses for elementary and secondary students.For information on the Lions Club in Natoma, contact Terry Tucker, president, at 785-885-8075.

Natoma Lions Club sponsors Peace Poster Contest

By AMY LIEBERMAN <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-at-stake-this-election-day-7-essential-reads-193699">The Conversation</a>

As Election Day closes in, uncertainty and concern about potential 
chaos – from violence at polling sites to candidates refusing to accept 
defeat – <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63494618">continue to rise</a>.

Problems that have historically plagued the U.S. electoral and 
political system – like voter intimidation – are cropping up ahead of 
the midterms. But so, too, are less familiar issues, like how previously
 run-of-the-mill state election positions are becoming opportunities for
 political activism.

Here are seven key issues that affect the midterm elections, drawn from stories in The Conversation’s archive.

Voter participation during midterm elections is typically low – though <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/11/01/turnout-in-u-s-has-soared-in-recent-elections-but-by-some-measures-still-trails-that-of-many-other-countries/">some experts say</a>
 that there could be heavy turnout this year. But the question of who 
actually heads to the polls will also be critical, as races in key <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2022-election-forecast/">swing states tighten</a>.

Young voters are much less likely to vote during midterms than older 
people, as opposed to their higher turnouts during presidential 
elections, American University government scholar <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1XMWY78AAAAJ&amp;hl=en">Jan Leighley</a> wrote. Young voters are also more likely to identify as Democrats.

“So if younger voters are underrepresented in the November 2022 
elections, more Republicans may be elected, as well as candidates less 
likely to reflect younger citizens’ views on key issues,” <a href="https://theconversation.com/young-voters-are-more-likely-to-skip-midterm-elections-than-presidential-races-192314">Leighley wrote.</a>

Read more:
 <a href="https://theconversation.com/young-voters-are-more-likely-to-skip-midterm-elections-than-presidential-races-192314">Young voters are more likely to skip midterm elections than presidential races</a>

This year, meanwhile, record numbers of Latinos are also expected to 
turn out to vote. In 2020, most Latinos voted for President Joe Biden – 
but increasing numbers of Latino voters are also supporting GOP 
candidates, including former president Donald Trump, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-gop-made-gains-among-latino-voters-in-2020-but-democrats-remain-the-party-of-choice-for-upcoming-midterms-192679">wrote University of Tennessee social work</a> scholar <a href="https://experts.utk.edu/experts/mary-lehman-held/">Mary Lehman Held.</a>

One reason is that Latino voters have different backgrounds, values 
and priorities. And not all would be turned off by Republican 
candidates’ restrictive immigration politics. 

“Immigration policies only affect a subset of Latinos, most notably 
Mexicans, followed by Salvadorans, Guatemalans and Hondurans,” Lehman 
Held explained.

Read more:
 <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-gop-made-gains-among-latino-voters-in-2020-but-democrats-remain-the-party-of-choice-for-upcoming-midterms-192679">The GOP made gains among Latino voters in 2020 but Democrats remain the party of choice for upcoming midterms</a>

It’s the economy, stupid, <a href="https://politicaldictionary.com/words/its-the-economy-stupid/">as the famous</a> 1992 political adage about voters’ top concern goes.

Soaring inflation <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-inflation-will-likely-stay-sky-high-regardless-of-which-party-wins-the-midterms-193416">rates top voters’</a>
 concerns this year, even though neither political party has been found 
particularly more effective at tackling the issue and bringing down 
inflation, as Texas State University finance scholar <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=eP0xZ1kAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">William Chittenden wrote.</a>

Read more:
 <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-inflation-will-likely-stay-sky-high-regardless-of-which-party-wins-the-midterms-193416">Why inflation will likely stay sky-high regardless of which party wins the midterms</a>

There was a flurry of political activism around the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/1971/70-18">Roe v. Wade</a>
 in June 2022, undoing the federal right to an abortion. But just four 
months later, men and women both say that abortion politics are not 
bringing them to the polls, according to Harvard Kennedy School and 
Northwestern University social science scholars <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vUKLlG4AAAAJ&amp;hl=en">Matthew A. Baum</a>, <a href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/alaunasafarpour/home">Alauna Safarpour</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=P_3neYQAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">Jonathan Schulman</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0JH3YoUAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">Kristin Lunz Trujillo</a>.

“The Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision may have initially 
mobilized some voters in June and July, particularly women, but its 
effects appear to have diminished when we asked Americans about their 
intentions to vote again in August and October,” <a href="https://theconversation.com/abortion-is-not-influencing-most-voters-as-the-midterms-approach-economic-issues-are-predominating-in-new-survey-191836">they wrote.</a>

Read more:
 <a href="https://theconversation.com/abortion-is-not-influencing-most-voters-as-the-midterms-approach-economic-issues-are-predominating-in-new-survey-191836">Abortion is not influencing most voters as the midterms approach – economic issues are predominating in new survey</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667396556650.png" alt="Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector" />
 <figcaption>Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector</figcaption>
 </figure>By AMY LIEBERMAN <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-at-stake-this-election-day-7-essential-reads-193699">The Conversation</a>As Election Day closes in, uncertainty and concern about potential 
chaos – from violence at polling sites to candidates refusing to accept 
defeat – <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63494618">continue to rise</a>. Problems that have historically plagued the U.S. electoral and 
political system – like voter intimidation – are cropping up ahead of 
the midterms. But so, too, are less familiar issues, like how previously
 run-of-the-mill state election positions are becoming opportunities for
 political activism.Here are seven key issues that affect the midterm elections, drawn from stories in The Conversation’s archive.<h2>1. Who is voting</h2>Voter participation during midterm elections is typically low – though <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/11/01/turnout-in-u-s-has-soared-in-recent-elections-but-by-some-measures-still-trails-that-of-many-other-countries/">some experts say</a>
 that there could be heavy turnout this year. But the question of who 
actually heads to the polls will also be critical, as races in key <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2022-election-forecast/">swing states tighten</a>. Young voters are much less likely to vote during midterms than older 
people, as opposed to their higher turnouts during presidential 
elections, American University government scholar <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1XMWY78AAAAJ&amp;hl=en">Jan Leighley</a> wrote. Young voters are also more likely to identify as Democrats. “So if younger voters are underrepresented in the November 2022 
elections, more Republicans may be elected, as well as candidates less 
likely to reflect younger citizens’ views on key issues,” <a href="https://theconversation.com/young-voters-are-more-likely-to-skip-midterm-elections-than-presidential-races-192314">Leighley wrote.</a> 
 
 
 Read more:
 <a href="https://theconversation.com/young-voters-are-more-likely-to-skip-midterm-elections-than-presidential-races-192314">Young voters are more likely to skip midterm elections than presidential races</a>
 
 
This year, meanwhile, record numbers of Latinos are also expected to 
turn out to vote. In 2020, most Latinos voted for President Joe Biden – 
but increasing numbers of Latino voters are also supporting GOP 
candidates, including former president Donald Trump, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-gop-made-gains-among-latino-voters-in-2020-but-democrats-remain-the-party-of-choice-for-upcoming-midterms-192679">wrote University of Tennessee social work</a> scholar <a href="https://experts.utk.edu/experts/mary-lehman-held/">Mary Lehman Held.</a>One reason is that Latino voters have different backgrounds, values 
and priorities. And not all would be turned off by Republican 
candidates’ restrictive immigration politics. “Immigration policies only affect a subset of Latinos, most notably 
Mexicans, followed by Salvadorans, Guatemalans and Hondurans,” Lehman 
Held explained.
 
 
 Read more:
 <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-gop-made-gains-among-latino-voters-in-2020-but-democrats-remain-the-party-of-choice-for-upcoming-midterms-192679">The GOP made gains among Latino voters in 2020 but Democrats remain the party of choice for upcoming midterms</a>
 
 
<h2>2. What voters want</h2>It’s the economy, stupid, <a href="https://politicaldictionary.com/words/its-the-economy-stupid/">as the famous</a> 1992 political adage about voters’ top concern goes. Soaring inflation <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-inflation-will-likely-stay-sky-high-regardless-of-which-party-wins-the-midterms-193416">rates top voters’</a>
 concerns this year, even though neither political party has been found 
particularly more effective at tackling the issue and bringing down 
inflation, as Texas State University finance scholar <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=eP0xZ1kAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">William Chittenden wrote.</a>
 
 
 Read more:
 <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-inflation-will-likely-stay-sky-high-regardless-of-which-party-wins-the-midterms-193416">Why inflation will likely stay sky-high regardless of which party wins the midterms</a>
 
 
There was a flurry of political activism around the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/1971/70-18">Roe v. Wade</a>
 in June 2022, undoing the federal right to an abortion. But just four 
months later, men and women both say that abortion politics are not 
bringing them to the polls, according to Harvard Kennedy School and 
Northwestern University social science scholars <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vUKLlG4AAAAJ&amp;hl=en">Matthew A. Baum</a>, <a href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/alaunasafarpour/home">Alauna Safarpour</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=P_3neYQAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">Jonathan Schulman</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0JH3YoUAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">Kristin Lunz Trujillo</a>. “The Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision may have initially 
mobilized some voters in June and July, particularly women, but its 
effects appear to have diminished when we asked Americans about their 
intentions to vote again in August and October,” <a href="https://theconversation.com/abortion-is-not-influencing-most-voters-as-the-midterms-approach-economic-issues-are-predominating-in-new-survey-191836">they wrote.</a>
 
 
 Read more:
 <a href="https://theconversation.com/abortion-is-not-influencing-most-voters-as-the-midterms-approach-economic-issues-are-predominating-in-new-survey-191836">Abortion is not influencing most voters as the midterms approach – economic issues are predominating in new survey</a>
 
 
<h2>3. Elections aren’t what they used to be</h2>Gone are the days when election administrators were considered low 
profile, conducting essential – but not flashy – work, like organizing 
voter lists, staffing polling places and counting election results. Overall mistrust in elections is high in the U.S. following the 2020 
elections – and former President Trump’s refusal to accept his defeat. 
It’s a new era in politics, where it is not necessarily a given that 
“elections happen, votes are counted, the winners are declared and 
democracy moves on,” wrote Arizona State University’s <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=FdltMX4AAAAJ&amp;hl=en">Thom Reilly</a>, a public governance scholar and former state election official. One complicating factor is that the U.S. is the only democracy that 
elects many of its election officials, and high-ranking members of the 
Republican or Democratic parties usually oversee elections at the state 
level. “That partisan system largely worked until now because, in essence, 
each party checked the other party’s ability to influence election 
outcomes. As long as states were politically diverse, members of the two
 major parties acted in good faith, and this model functioned – albeit 
imperfectly,” <a href="https://theconversation.com/good-faith-and-the-honor-of-partisan-election-officials-used-to-be-enough-to-ensure-trust-in-voting-results-but-not-anymore-189510">wrote Reilly</a>. But there’s already evidence that newly minted and highly partisan 
poll workers and election observers plan to disrupt the elections, 
potentially diminishing public faith in this essential democratic 
institution and weakening democracy itself. And a high number of 
candidates running for state election administration roles are election 
deniers. If they win, wrote Reilly, that will further erode public 
confidence in election integrity. 
 
 
 Read more:
 <a href="https://theconversation.com/good-faith-and-the-honor-of-partisan-election-officials-used-to-be-enough-to-ensure-trust-in-voting-results-but-not-anymore-189510">Good faith and the honor of partisan election officials used to be enough to ensure trust in voting results – but not anymore</a>
 
 
<h2>4. Black voters face possible intimidation</h2>Amid warnings from the Department of Homeland Security about 
political violence on Election Day – which University of Maryland, 
Baltimore County security researcher <a href="https://cybersecurity.umbc.edu/richard-forno/">Richard Forno</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/political-violence-in-america-isnt-going-away-anytime-soon-193597">recently explored</a> – there’s an increased risk that polling sites will become yet another place for political violence. 
 
 
 Read more:
 <a href="https://theconversation.com/political-violence-in-america-isnt-going-away-anytime-soon-193597">Political violence in America isn't going away anytime soon</a>
 
 
The threat brings to mind <a href="https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/elections/right-to-vote/voting-rights-for-african-americans/">long-standing efforts</a> by white supremacists to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/10/27/voter-intimidation-surging-2020-protect-minority-voters-column/6043955002/">intimidate and</a> threaten Black voters. Georgia is one place with a long history of voter intimidation that 
is rolling out election reform laws, making it actually harder for 
voters – especially people of color – to vote. One part of this new law,
 called SB 202, removes some voting drop boxes, which people of color 
predominantly use. This comes as Black voters gain number and power in 
Georgia – and the tightened voting rules are reminiscent of the 1940s 
and other times when white conservatives cracked down on voting rights 
in response to rising Black political strength.“The almost immediate passage of new election laws at a time of 
growing Black political strength suggests the persistence of a white 
backlash in Georgia,” <a href="https://theconversation.com/georgias-gop-overhauled-the-states-election-laws-in-2021-and-critics-argue-the-target-was-black-voter-turnout-not-election-fraud-192000">wrote</a> Emory University <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Richard-Doner-2">political science scholar Richard Doner</a>. 
 
 
 Read more:
 <a href="https://theconversation.com/georgias-gop-overhauled-the-states-election-laws-in-2021-and-critics-argue-the-target-was-black-voter-turnout-not-election-fraud-192000">Georgia's GOP overhauled the state's election laws in 2021 – and critics argue the target was Black voter turnout, not election fraud</a>
 
 
Amy Lieberman is Politics + Society Editor at the The Conversation.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193699/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>