In the Wichita mayor’s race, there is one major takeaway from the filings submitted this week to the Sedgwick County Election Commission Office: Lily Wu, a first-time political candidate who calls herself “the outsider” in the race, is anything but. Wu is just one of eight candidates challenging incumbent Mayor Brandon Whipple in the Aug. […]
DIY Democracy
Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
Wichita mayoral forum: Candidates talk policing, homelessness and neighborhoods
Wichita will choose its next mayor on Nov. 7, but first voters must narrow the field of candidates from nine to two in the primary on Aug. 1. Seven of those nine mayoral candidates shared their views on how to strengthen neighborhoods, engage citizens in advisory boards and tackle such problems as homelessness and police […]
Posted inDIY Democracy, Education, Elections
Trans rights, mental health and student safety: USD 259 school board at-large candidates answer your questions
Last month, The Wichita Beacon surveyed our readers to find out what they most want to know about candidates running for local office. Questions for Wichita school board candidates centered on these themes: transgender protections in schools, student safety, mental health and curriculum decisions. Only one school board seat, the at-large seat, drew enough Wichita […]
Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
Housing, fentanyl and worker shortages: Where do Wichita’s City Council candidates stand?
Last month, The Wichita Beacon surveyed our readers to find out what they most want to know about candidates running for local office. Questions for City Council candidates centered on four themes: homelessness; the city’s worker shortage in areas of policing, health care and education; fentanyl deaths; and diversity and inclusion. Only one district, District […]
Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
Diversity, transparency and leadership: Where do the Wichita’s mayoral candidates stand?
Update: Brandon Whipple and Lily Wu will appear on the Nov. 7 general election ballot. They have answered a second questionnaire with different questions submitted by our readers. Last month, The Wichita Beacon surveyed our readers to find out what they most want to know about candidates running for local office. Questions for the 2023 […]
Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
You have until July 11 to register to vote in the August primary election
The primary election in Wichita is on Aug. 1, giving voters the opportunity to narrow the fields in races for mayor, City Council and school board. Here’s who is running. Because local elections are nonpartisan, any registered voter regardless of party affiliation may vote in the primary. If you want to vote in this year’s […]
Posted inCivic Engagement, DIY Democracy
Not old enough to vote? Here are seven civic engagement opportunities for teens
Teenagers cannot vote until they are 18, but that doesn’t mean they need to wait until adulthood to shape the world around them. Many ways exist to get involved in teen civic engagement, whether in politics or other aspects of community leadership. “I used to think stuff like civic engagement … was for old people […]
Posted inDIY Democracy, Elections, Local Government
What should voters know about the Wichita 2023 primaries?
The Sedgwick County Election Office — responsible for all voter registration and elections within the county — is heading into Wichita 2023 primary elections with a new commissioner, following a fair amount of controversy and turnover in recent years. In 2020, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, whose responsibilities overseeing elections include appointing county election commissioners, […]
Posted inDIY Democracy, Local Government
DIY Democracy: How to run for City Council or mayor in Wichita
Candidates who want to run for City Council or mayor have a lot of information to dissect and understand and a lot of tasks to complete. A detail as small as where you place your yard sign can be dictated by city ordinances. Getting the essential information isn’t easy. It’s not readily available online. It […]
Posted inDIY Democracy, Education
DIY Democracy: How to run for school board in Wichita
When you want to run for a spot on the Wichita Unified School District 259 Board of Education, there is a lot to dissect, understand and complete.