There is still plenty of time for candidates to file for elections this year. That deadline is noon on Monday, June 1, for the August primary and noon on Monday, Aug. 3, for independent candidates. So the sky isn’t falling.
But with the countdown to the primary deadline passing the four-week mark, the small number of electoral races with official competition is disheartening. At the local and state legislature levels, only one district judge race had multiple candidates. With Randy Parks ending his Reno County Commission re-election campaign to run for the Kansas House of Representatives, there is one total candidate filed for three county commission seats.
This isn’t a commentary on the quality of the candidates who are running so far. In fact, we’re quite satisfied with some of them. But voters deserve choices in as many races as possible, regardless of how good the first candidates who file are. Elections shouldn’t be won by default.
Uncontested elections in general are a negative for a community. They encourage complacency, the stagnation of ideas and at the very worst, invulnerability.
If you look at Congress, for instance, the more radical the elected official, the safer their district, whether a Republican or a Democrat.
Our elected officials should perform their duties always with the idea that if they don’t do their job to the best of their abilities, they will be replaced.
It isn’t like there is a shortage of issues where there are disagreements about how to proceed. Taxes, spending, economic development, local control, housing. How many people have attended meetings or spoken or written to their elected officials about data centers and battery energy storage facilities?
We’re sure there are plenty of people who care deeply about these and other issues but feel unqualified for public office. But, except for judges, there generally aren’t educational or career history requirements for elected office. County commissioners merely have to live in their district and be qualified to vote. Even U.S. senators only have to be 30 years old, citizens for nine years, and live in the state they represent. No political science degree, no master’s in public administration required.
The abilities to listen, pay attention, communicate and take criticism in stride are all more important than whether you planned a career in politics.
We expect more of this year’s races will fill up with candidates between now and June 1, and we certainly hope so. If you care about the issues, you still have time to throw your hat in the ring.
– The Hutchinson Tribune Editorial Board