There’s a subtle but starting-to-get identifiable undertone to this year’s elections that we really haven’t seen in decades in Kansas politics this year.

It’s creating a new voting bloc, not just Republicans, not just Democrats, not just unaffiliated voters, or even Libertarians who remain split on whether your meat should be inspected.

It’s a fast-growing “I’m voting against” block that the U.S. Senate race, the governor’s race and the Secretary of State race appear to be generating toward the top of the ballot.

Those are the races, or office-holders, which are getting all the press, and for good reason, we think, whether they generated the attention or whether they are the object of the controversy.

The Senate race, once a four-candidate contest has, by Kansas Supreme Court order to Secretary of State Kris Kobach to pull the name of Democrat Chad Taylor  off the ballot, become a three-man race between three-termer U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., independent Greg Orman of Olathe and Libertarian Randall Batson, Wichita.

Kobach’s unsuccessful battle to keep Taylor on the ballot has colored that race, made Roberts more vulnerable and splashed back for some voters onto Kobach himself. Most grown-ups have laughed off the Kobach/Kansas Republican Party lamentations that Democrats need their own candidate to prevent those Taylor voters from being disenfranchised…even if they do have proof of citizenship.

But the effort to keep Taylor on the ballot made Roberts seem so vulnerable that…he’s suddenly more vulnerable than you’d expect a three-term member of the Senate to be, and independent Orman is the leading benefactor of the “I’m voting against” block.

In the governor’s race between incumbent Republican Sam Brownback and Democrat Kansas House Minority Leader Paul Davis, the race is a little tougher, the “I’m voting against” cadre split between those who support more school funding, more social programs for the poor and such, and those who are voting against anyone who wants to take or delay their income tax exemptions.

Since everyone’s taxes went down some—ranging from money to pay for school and food to enough to create choice between those granite countertops or moving up to a Buick—the voting-against crowd is split in this race.

And, the race for Secretary of State—an office where most Kansans who aren’t notaries don’t interact with much—gets split into the “I’m voting against” whoever made this Senate ballot a national, even international controversy (that’d be Republican Kobach) and Democrat Jean Schodorf, who so far is just taking pot shots at Kobach and wants more folks to be able to vote without proving citizenship—just certifying it. And, so far, Kobach hasn’t demanded voters reveal their weight…

Incumbent Republican Derek Schmidt has been careful to keep his fingerprints off the Senate race scrap; Republican State Treasurer Ron Estes, who most Kansans wouldn’t recognize if he was sitting next to them at the bar, has gone nearly underground in his campaign. But for Democratic AG challenger A. J. Kotich and Democrat treasurer hopeful Carmen Alldritt, the “I’m voting against” clan might be working for them, obliquely.

Remember mom telling you to stay away from the kid down the block…and his friends? That could happen again. “I’m voting against” could creep around until it alters some down-ballot races by political party.

Does that mean that some down-ballot candidates, who a month ago were happy to be in the same photo as a candidate higher up on the ballot, will have second thought about putting it on Facebook? Will that association work for or against a candidate who is running for the Kansas House, or maybe AG or Treasurer? And does any of this apply to the Insurance Commissioner’s race?

We’ll have to get back to you on that …

Syndicated by Hawver News Co. of Topeka, Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report. To learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit www.hawvernews.com.

Imagine this scene: The doorbell rings at 3 a.m. to wake you from a deep sleep. You peek out to see a fireman in full gear standing at your front door. He tells you that your neighbor’s house is on fire and you must leave your home immediately.

Would you be prepared for a situation like this? If you had to evacuate your home in the middle of the night, what would you take with you? Would you have the important information needed to recover if your home was destroyed?

This happened to me a few years ago when I lived in Garden City. We had time to put on shoes and grab my husband’s wallet and my purse as we were ushered out the door. But that was all we had. Thankfully, our home was not damaged, but afterward we reflected on how unprepared we were for that evacuation. Since then, we’ve taken steps to be better prepared for disaster.

September has been designated as Disaster Preparedness Month. This month, several Ellis County residents are participating in the Prepare Kansas online challenge from K-State Research and Extension.

We’re completing weekly tasks to prepare our families and property in case of disaster. But even if you are not participating in an official preparedness program, you can — and should — take action to become better prepared for emergencies.

Here are some steps to help protect your family’s financial situation now and be able to recover and rebuild after a disaster:

1. Rent a safe deposit box. Keep originals of important legal documents, deeds, titles, birth and marriage certificates, passports, property appraisals and other irreplaceable papers in it.

2. Take inventory. You’ll need good records of your belongings after a disaster, both for insurance claims and to prove losses on your tax return. To get started, photograph or videotape every wall of every room of your home. Don’t forget the basement, attic, garage, outbuildings, etc. (It takes less time than you think — I photographed my entire house and garage in about an hour and a half.) Open doors and drawers to photograph the contents of dressers, cabinets and closets. List large appliances and electronics with model or serial numbers, appraisals, receipts or other records to prove the value of these items. Update your home inventory annually and store the images on a flash drive in a safe deposit box or other safe location away from your home.

3. Make a grab-and-go kit. Assemble a set of your important papers in something you can quickly grab and take to the basement in case of a storm or take with you if you have to leave your home. Use a durable, sealed waterproof box, bag or briefcase. Put in copies of important papers that can help your family manage without access to your home for a long period of time. (Note: keep this information carefully secured and protected against unauthorized access.)

Things to include in your grab-and-go kit might include:
• Identification and other key documents that may be needed to prove identity and restore records, including copies of your driver’s license, social security cards, citizenship or naturalization papers or passports.
• Copies of important legal papers such as birth certificates, deeds, mortgage documents, powers of attorney, wills and other papers which might be required after a disaster.
• Copies of medical prescriptions, including eyeglasses and contacts.
• Copies of children’s immunization records.
• Copies of insurance cards and policies, including phone number of insurance agents.
• Copies of the front and back of all credit, debit and ATM cards.
• Account information and phone numbers for all financial accounts.
• List of important telephone numbers (family members, medical providers, attorney, religious adviser, etc.)
• List of monthly bills, contact information and when they are due.
• A copy of your home inventory– written and/or photos.
• Safe deposit box key, box location and names of authorized signers.
• List of electronic access user ID’s and passwords.
• Pocket notebook and pen or pencil.

I hope a fireman never knocks on your door in the middle of the night. But my experience emphasizes the importance of being prepared. Taking time now to make sure your financial documents are up-to-date, accessible and ready to grab and go can save a lot of time and frustration in the event of a fire, storm, flood or other emergency.

For more information, see the K-State Research and Extension publication “Get Financially Prepared: Take Steps Ahead of Disaster,” MF3055. Use the search function at www.ksre.ksu.edu or contact the Ellis County Extension, 601 Main, at (785) 628-9430.

Linda K. Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.