Help Kids Voting Kansas Win Up to $200,000!

Kids Voting Kansas is once again competing in the Chase Community Giving contest via facebook! The top 195 charities receiving the most votes will each win $20,000, the top 4 will each receive $100,000 and the charity receiving the most votes will win $200,000!

If you have a facebook profile it is easy to go on to cast your vote, here are the details!

1) Each user gets 20 votes, you may only vote for each organization ONCE (therefore you can vote for up to 20 organizations)

2) Go to the link below to vote for Kids Voting Kansas! Once you've voted, don't forget to share the news on your facebook wall and invite others to do the same! You can then click the "Search and Vote" button at the top of the page to search for other charities to vote for, including Kids Voting USA! Here is the link to vote for Kids Voting Kansas:

http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/481126199-kids-voting-kansas-inc?src=charity-details-wall-post-self&ref=mf

Happy Flag Day!

Today marks a holiday you may or may not have heard of, but is full of rich history; Flag Day.

Flag Day marks the day that the Stars and Stripes were officially adopted as the national flag of the United States; June 14, 1777. The day is celebrated in many communities with parades, ceremonies, and other special events. Check out the article below for a great story of how Flag Day came to be recognized as a national holiday.

http://www.luxamculturalsociety.org/NationalFlagDay.htm

Is your community doing anything for Flag Day? Leave us a comment to let us know!

Happy Flag Day!

Women Win Big in Primary Elections

Tuesday night was Primary Election Day in 12 states around the country. In many hotly contested races around the country, women came out as the victors. With the rise of prominent female politicians such as Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin, there has been much discussion about the role of women in politics. In it's coverage of the Tuesday elections, the Washington Post noted;

"With victories by several prominent women in Tuesday's primary elections came the familiar declarations that a 'year of the woman' is underway. But in at least five races, something even more remarkable occurred: The candidates' gender never became much of an issue.

"Tuesday's elections put on display the increasing diversity of female candidates, as well as their growing resilience. They were for abortion rights and against them, old and young, part of the political establishment and new to it. Their male opponents attacked them -- relentlessly, in some cases -- apparently unworried about being seen as picking on a woman. The women touched on their gender, but did so sparingly."

Read the rest of Howard Kurtz's article here for an interesting discussion on the evolving role of women in politics:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/11/AR2010061101988.html

So, who were some of these women that won big on Tuesday?

Blanche Lincoln- In a major upset, incumbent Senator Blanche Lincoln held on to her Senate seat, defeating Arkansas Lt. Gov Bill Halter 51-49%

Carly Fiorina- Fiorina won a three-way Senate Primary for the chance to face incumbent Democrat Senator Barbara Boxer.

Meg Whitman- Whitman won another three-way primary to win the Republican nomination for the California Governor's race.

Sharron Angle- Angle won a three-way GOP primary in Nevada for the chance to challenge Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

Nikki Haley- Haley came out on top in the Republican primary for South Carolina Governor, however with 49% of the vote, she came 1% short of the vote needed to certify her as the winner. She will head to a run-off election against her opponent, Gresham Barrett. If elected Governor, Haley will be the first female Governor of South Carolina.

345 File to Run in Kansas Elections

Yesterday at noon marked the filing deadline for all candidates seeking office in the 2010 elections. According to KansasReporter.org, 345 Kansans met the deadline and signed their names on the dotted line to be candidates in elections across the state. Among the hotly contested races in the upcoming election are the race for Governor, Secretary of State, the US Senate, and the 3rd District Congressional seat. Offices up for election in 2010 include:

One U.S. Senator

All 125 State Representatives

All four U.S. Representatives

State Board of Education (#1,3,5,7,9)

Governor / Lt. Governor

4 Kansas Supreme Court Justices (#1,2,3,5)

Secretary of State

9 Kansas Court of Appeals Judges

Attorney General

District Court Judges (40 retained, 29 elected)

State Treasurer

District Magistrate Judges (16 retained, 2 elected)

Commissioner of Insurance

http://www.kansasreporter.org/62027.aspx

Kansas Democrats Open Primary

Yesterday, the Kansas Democractic Party announced that they will hold an open primary when voters go to the polls on August 3rd.

During an open primary, unaffiliated voters are allowed to cast their ballot along with registered members of that party. In a closed primary system, unaffiliated voters would have to register as a member of that party in order to cast their ballot.

There is no word yet as to rather the Republican Party will open their August 3rd primary.

As a reminder, those turning 18 on or before August 3rd can still register to vote in the Primary Election! Below is a link to the easy-to-complete voter registration form:

http://www.kssos.org/forms/elections/voterregistration.pdf

State Legislature Wraps-Up

The Kansas legislature has adjourned for 2010. After several late nights, and a series of tough decisions on everything from a state transportation plan to K-12 education funding, the legislature finally concluded its session today. So, what did the 2010 legislature accomplish?

-$8.2 billion package to improve Kansas roads and bridges

-Primary Seat-Belt law, which makes driving without a seat-belt a primary offense (meaning you can get pulled over just for not wearing a seat belt)

-State-wide smoking ban

-Reform on nursing home and day care regulations

-A ban on texting while driving

-A ban on the synthetic substance K2

-A new state grass

-Last but not least, a $13.6 billion budget including a 1% state sales tax increase to help make-up for a $500 million deficit

Source: http://cjonline.com/news/legislature/2010-05-12/talk_back_the_2010_legislature

You be the judge, how do you think the legislature did this year in responding to the needs of Kansans? Leave a comment below to let us know!

Obama Makes Supreme Court Pick

Yesterday, President Obama announced his choice to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens. Obama selected current Solicitor General Elena Kagan as his appointee. As Solicitor General, Kagan serves as the United States' lawyer, and represents the United States in matters before the U.S. Supreme Court. She is the first woman to hold the position, and if confirmed to the Supreme Court, will only be the 4th woman to have served on the court in its history. Obama praised Kagan as "one of the nation’s foremost legal minds", and a "trailblazer".

What makes her appointment significant?

If confirmed, Kagan will not only the be the 4th woman in history to serve on the Supreme Court, but she will also join Justice Ginsburg and Justice Sotomayor, making the first time three woman have ever sat on the court at once. Kagan is also the first appointee in nearly 40 years to not already be a judge. Prior to Kagan's service as Solicitor General, she served as the Dean of Harvard Law School, and a lawyer in the Clinton administration. Throughout history, there have been several justices without prior records as judges, most notably Chief Justice Earl Warren, who led the high court through the civil rights era.

What happens now?

As provided by our constitution, Kagan's appointment must now be confirmed by the United States Senate. They will start with a hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in which Senators will have the opportunity to question Kagan. If approved in the committee, Kagan's nomination then goes to the full Senate, which must also approve her nomination.

What to look for?

A Supreme Court nomination process can be very interesting to watch, be sure to watch the news for updates on the process, and particularly when the confirmation hearings start. These hearings are usually televised live, and can be very interesting and informative.

References courtesy of: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/us/politics/11court.html