By Miranda Davis

KU Statehouse Wire Service

TOPEKA – For Stephanie Clayton (R-Overland Park), using Twitter was part of her community activism before she was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives.

Now, it’s part of her daily routine. Clayton uses the #ksleg hashtag to track her votes and explain her stance on complex issues.

For Clayton (@SSCJoCoKs), being on Twitter and being engaged with social media has been an overwhelmingly positive experience.

Online harassment is at a minimum, she said, and when it does happen, the followers that like her usually drown out the few who don’t. More often than anything else, it’s other legislative representatives who send her mean tweets, she said.

“You would think since I’m a female politician, it would be like Gamergate, but it’s not,” Clayton said.

Gamergate refers to an online campaign attacking female game developer Zoe Quinn. Clayton started tweeting from local government meetings, and when she was elected to the House in 2013, she felt the need to continue.

She not only tweets about the big and complex votes, but also the smaller ones that may be less interesting to her constituents.

As always, #ksleg Twitter, you have been great! It is so rewarding to have the opportunity to interact with all of you.

— Stephanie Clayton (@SSCJoCoKs) May 2, 2016

  “It’s nice because it keeps me honest, and frankly, it helps me keep track of my vote,” Clayton said. “I think my constituents really like it because whether they think it’s right or wrong, they know what I’m doing.” Clayton said that for her, despite the backlash from other representatives, it is worth it to keep tweeting.

She said that she is unique in the way that she tweets every single vote and most of her actions relating to her job. She said that while more and more politicians are doing it at the national level, it is pretty rare to see it at the state level. “Politicians just don’t do that. It’s very new, and they don’t do it,” Clayton said.

“They don’t know how to handle it.” However, Shawn Sullivan (@SSullivan66610), the state budget director, also uses Twitter to explain the budget to Kansans. “Following a budget presentation or press conference, if I see something that needs clarification or is factually inaccurate, I will often correct it through Twitter,” Sullivan said in a statement. He also said that it’s a way to get information out to news sites. “I also know that the political beat reporters are active on Twitter and will see the information I post on #ksleg,” Sullivan said.

The official Twitter handle for Gov. Sam Brownback (@govsambrownback) has more than 14,000 followers who receive tweets about press releases and the governor’s activities.

“Our goal is to communicate Governor Brownback’s vision to make Kansas the best state in America to raise a family and grow a business, so we utilize multiple platforms to reach every Kansan across each demographic,” deputy communications director Melika Willoughby said in a statement.

“Twitter allows us to instantly announce the Governor’s latest actions, share photos and conversations as he visits with Kansans from across the state, and post stories about the positive impacts of his policies.” It’s unclear whether the governor’s office monitors tweets that mention or reply to Brownback’s tweets.

For every one of Brownback’s tweets, there can be a dozen responses, many of which are negative. For example, the governor’s office tweeted this message: “The Obama administration is undermining the refugee resettlement program by refusing to provide adequate security assurances. #ksleg”

One user replied, “You’re undermining the refugee resettlement program by refusing to participate in it because of the people seeking refuge.” The #ksleg hashtag and social media use by elected officials can turn bad in an instant. The hashtag use usually gets more intense during the hot-button issues, with more and more people engaging when they feel it’s something they need to sounds off on.

Anyone can use the hashtag, which can have a powerful effect. In a 24-hour period from May 4 to May 5, 218 users posted 517 tweets with a total of 1,437,440 impressions on Twitter, reported Keyhole.co, a website that tracks analytics on hashtags.

Edited by Leah Sitz

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Secretary of State Kris Kobach has asked a federal appeals court to stay a judge’s order to add to voting rolls for federal elections thousands of Kansans who did not provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote at motor vehicle offices.

The Kansas Republican argued in a filing Friday to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals that the process would be administratively burdensome and would involve thousands of hours of work by election officials.

U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson issued the preliminary injunction Tuesday after finding more than 18,000 eligible voters would be disenfranchised in the November federal election under the Kansas law. She put her order on hold until May 31 so the state could appeal.

Kobach is asking for a stay while it appeals the order.

EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — An east-central Kansas woman has been ordered to spend a year behind bars for a 2013 fatal crash that killed a bicyclist.

KVOE-AM of Emporia reports that a Lyon County judge sentenced 41-year-old Jean Getten on a conviction of vehicular homicide. She was acquitted last month of a charge of involuntary manslaughter.

Authorities say a pickup truck driven by Getten, who at the time of the crash was known as Jean McComber, hit and killed 51-year-old bicyclist Ronald Kennedy of Ottawa, Kansas, on a highway west of Emporia.

MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Last week, Mercury stole the show. Now it’s Mars’ turn.

On Sunday morning, Mars, Earth and the sun will line up perfectly in the sky. This once-every-two-years event is called Mars opposition. That’s because Mars and the sun will be on opposite sides of Earth.

Right now, Mars is about 48 million miles from us. That won’t change much by Sunday. But on May 30, Mars will pass within 47 million miles of Earth, the closest in a decade.

Sky-watchers, gazing to the southeast at nightfall, can enjoy a brighter, seemingly bigger Mars into June. The Hubble Space Telescope, meanwhile, will be zooming in for some pretty pictures.

SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating six reported thefts and asking the public for help.

Between April 8th and May 6th, 2016, six commercial air conditioning units were reported stolen along Broadway Boulevard between South Street and Grand Avenue in Salina, according to Saline County Crime Stoppers.

Due to the weight of the units, there would more than likely be more than one suspect involved.

Total loss and damage is estimated at $17,000.

Any information concerning who committed this crime should be reported to Crime Stoppers at 785-825-TIPS, text SATIPS to CRIMES (274637), or visit www.pd.salina.org and follow the Crime Stoppers link to submit a web tip.

You may receive a cash reward of up to $1,000 and you are not required to give your name.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The remains of a U.S. Navy member killed in the Pearl Harbor attack will be returned to be buried in his hometown in Kansas nearly 75 years after his death.

The Wichita Eagle reports that the remains of Navy Seaman 2nd Class Dale Pearce will be flown by military escort to Tulsa.

Family members, escorted by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and local police, will take the casket to Parsons. It’ll be buried Thursday in Dennis, a town of about 300 people.

According to military records, Pearce’s remains were recovered about a year after the 1941 attack. But advances in DNA technology in recent years have allowed authorities to identify remains of those deceased long ago.

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency scientists used family DNA and dental comparisons to identify Pearce.