On your ballot on November 5th (yes, every Kansan has a ballot to cast this November 5th) there will be an amendment to the Kansas Constitution to eliminate how the state will adjust the results of the 2020 Census.

You should vote 'Yes' for this amendment.

Last week, we pointed out that amendments to the Kansas Constitution can represent a last gasp for extreme policies that have failed to take legislative hold, and we described two such proposed amendments.

But this amendment does not include broad policy changes, and has wide bipartisan support, including from Scott Schwab, the Kansas Secretary of State (SoS).

What is it?

The amendment would end the practice of following up a national census with a specific Kansas adjustment centered on college and military populations in the state. As it stands now, the KS SoS is required to survey these people to ask where they would like to be counted: where they are posted, or where they live when not posted.

College students, who spend nine months of the year in Manhattan, for example, might indicate they want to be counted back home in Salina. If they are from out of state, a member of the military posted to Fort Riley might indicate they want to be marked as residing in their hometown in Ohio.

Why change that?

There are two reasons to make the change proposed in the amendment.

First, the process costs a lot of money, and takes a lot of time. The KS SoS estimates that for the upcoming Census, the process would cost Kansas over $800,000, and reduce the amount of time for the 2022 redistricting process by 3 to 6 months. (See this great information from the League of Women Voters for more)

Second, the Census is designed to help states and the Federal government allocate funding for services and programs depending on how many people live in a given community. For a decade, until the next Census in 2030, the resources for those communities will be dependent on the 2020 Census count. College students and military personnel spend most of the year on campus or on base. The resources to support them should go to those communities for infrastructure, libraries, health services, community organizations, and other public services.

The Kansas Census adjustment process is expensive, time consuming, and can leave cities or counties without funds to support their community.

What's the inside story?

At MainStream, we try to explain the nuance of politics in a straightforward way. And yet, politics does not seem to be a primary motivation for this amendment. There are some suggesting that this would end up favoring urban centers over rural ones, or would hurt more conservative parts of the state, but the effect would be small.

In the end, the original legislation (SCR 1605) passed the KS Senate unanimously, and the KS House 117-7 to be placed on the ballot in November.

What can you do?

Quite simply, vote this year, and get others to vote, too. Here are some links and deadlines to help:

• Register to vote by October 15th at ksvotes.org
• See who and what is on your ballot at ksballot.org
• Vote early by mail: apply for a ballot in your mailbox at ksvotes.org
• Vote early in person: most counties will allow in person voting a week before election day. Find out where and when you can vote early in person at ksballot.org
• Vote on election day: find your polling location at ksballot.org

Then, do more than vote.

Join Voter to Voter, our nonpartisan friends-only program to get out the vote. We support you in talking to ten of your friends about the importance of voting. There's no more effective program to get out the vote. See it at votertovoter.org