Brian McClendon plans to increase voter turnout in Kansas as secretary of state [View all]

Low election turnout numbers in Kansas emphasize for Brian McClendon that the secretary of state should be judged on the basis of voter participation.

The Democrat from Lawrence thinks he can move Kansas’s ranking from 36th to the top 10 among states nationwide through a combination of better leadership and the application of technology skills that made him a Google executive.

Republican Kris Kobach has fought the wrong battles, McClendon said, while overseeing the office for two terms. Kobach, now a candidate for governor, espoused restrictions he said were needed to keep immigrants off voting rolls despite scant evidence of illegal activity.

In contrast to imposing what amounts to a poll tax, McClendon said, his focus would be “on getting things done.” He talked about his ideas for redirecting the office’s attention during a conversation with Capitol Insider, the podcast of The Topeka Capital-Journal that probes political candidates and their ideas.

Read more: http://www.cjonline.com/news/20180916/capitol-insider-podcast-brian-mcclendon-plans-to-increase-voter-turnout-in-kansas-as-secretary-of-state