Well, I'm fresh home from Dodge City - a fair trip for my family and I to go out and help work the efforts in Southwest Kansas with voter registration.
We've worked for a few weeks to help bring forward candidates and others to help grow our party. Too often, in political contests we want to discuss how to win - but when we register new voters, we all win. It's good for the entire process to have more voters go to the polls and feel represented.
Please Note: you can click these pictures for larger versions
Entering Wright Park today, we had a positive crowd who was ready to sit, eat some good food, have some ice cream and work to bring more people into the process.
The event, sponsored by The Ford County Democratic Party, LULAC, Kansas & Missouri Kossacks, brought Ice Cream, Hot Dogs, Candidates, and voter registration forms. What more could you ask for?
LULAC volunteers sat at their table and handled registration after registration as people came to the event to listen to how they could change their state. We knew that not only were we helping to register new and first time voters, we were helping to bring a message into a community that has been ignored - and to help them take that message back to their friends and families.
I'd love to say everything was super positive - but like any voter registration event in Kansas, not everything can go perfectly. The specter of Kris Kobach hovered above events like this, as any event using the Kansas forms requires extra steps of proof. While Ford County Democratic Party was able to help many with this, and take digital photos for registration purposes, at least one person who tried to register found that they would need extra materials - a frustrating fact for all of us who live in Kansas. After being told of this issue, I managed to run down a family member in the area: "It's as though they are saying we are guilty without any proof."
Jim Sherow, candidate for house in District 1, took to the stage to speak Spanish - to inform the audience that he was with them, and that he wanted to help them with their issues.
I know that voter suppression is wrong. I know that we are all Americans, and we all should be valued.
Jean Schodorf took to the stage to inform voters that now is the time - to register more voters, to spread the word amongst their communities that we should be empowered TO vote, not afraid to try to vote.
In the end, around 150+ showed up to listen to Groupo Differencia, the band who performed for us, to eat some good food and to join us in helping to bring more people into the process.
From Left to Right:
John Thomas (KS House District 119 Candidate), Jean Schodorf (Secretary of State Candidate), Jim Sherow (US House, KS District 1 Candidate), Mark Low (Kansas House Candidate, District 115)
I'd like to thank all of the candidates, Kossacks, Democrats, LULAC, and the band, as well as to all of those who made the effort to visit Dodge City.
To Donate:
Jim Sherow: https://secure.actblue.com/...
Jean Schodorf's official DailyKos Endorsement Donation page: https://secure.actblue.com/...