We Snooze, We Lose: Kansas Elections Prove It’s True

In local elections across Kansas, razor-thin margins are shaping our communities. And when our communities sit out these races, our neighborhoods feel the consequences.

Take Junction City.

Earlier this year, Councilmember Al Gordon — a respected small-business owner and a strong voice for the city’s Black community — ran for re-election. He knew the field would be tough: ten candidates competing for six spots to advance to the general election. Every voter could vote for up to three candidates in the race.

The stakes? Decisions about policing practices. Streetlights and sidewalks. Business development. Rental codes. Property taxes. All the issues that affect daily life.

Yet turnout told a grim story.

Of approximately 13,000 registered voters in Junction City, just 2,657 votes were cast. With ever voter able to cast three votes, that meant as few as  885 votes showed up for the election – just 6.8% of eligible voters.. A handful of residents — fewer than 1 in 15 — chose who would represent everyone.

Here’s how close it was:

He lost by one vote. One.

And in a city where 20% of the population is African American, that one vote could have come from:

• A cousin down the street
• A church member sitting in the pew behind you
• A neighbor who meant to vote “next time”

There were dozens — even hundreds — of Black residents who could have made the difference.

This isn’t an isolated story.

In  the 2023 local elections, Roeland Park, KS candidate Haile Sims — another young Black leader — lost his council race by just five votes:  181 to 175.

Five people. A minivan full of friends. A single extended family.

When we don’t vote, we give someone else the power to make decisions for us.
When we show up, we can decide the outcome.

What if we all registered?  What if we all showed up?

Sadly, 2023 was a year with state-wide elections, i.e. governor, atty. general as well as state legislature positions , i.e. state representatives and state senators. This year with local elections only, turnout is expected to be even lower.

Local elections don’t look glamorous. They don’t feel big. They don’t flood your screen with ads. But they decide what gets built in your neighborhood — and whose priorities count.

Al Gordon was one vote shy of making sure those priorities included the African-American community.

Next time, that one vote could be yours.