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Claeys touts elections, business experience
Published 5/28/2010 in Local News
By MONICA SPRINGER
The only Secretary of State candidate who is from Kansas' 'Big First' Congressional District stopped in Garden City Thursday to meet with local leaders and voters.
J.R. Claeys, R-Salina, said he wants to use his background of working in elections and in small business in the Secretary of State job.
Claeys is challenging fellow Republicans Libby Ensley of Topeka and Kris Kobach of Kansas City, Kan., in the Aug. 3 primary. The winner of the Republican primary will face the winner of the Democratic primary between incumbent Chris Biggs of Junction City and Chris Steineger of Kansas City, Kan., in the November general election.
Claeys, a fifth-generation Kansan, worked summers harvesting wheat in south-central Kansas before going to Kansas State University. On Thursday, he met with Elsa Ulrich, Finney County Clerk, State Rep. Jeff Whitham, R-Garden City, and also spoke at the Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce.
After he received a bachelor's degree in journalism, he received a master's degree in public administration from George Washington University in Washington D.C., and worked with the Republican National Committee in fundraising.
Claeys also has experience in small businesses. He was the director of communications for the National Small Business Administration and was selected as the chief executive officer for the National Association of Government Contractors before he decided to run for Secretary of State.
"Having worked in nonprofits, I've always had this idea of service. I think it's important to give back to the community," Claeys said. "I always thought public service was something I would do in my life."
He also served as an international elections observer in Bolivia and El Salvador.
While the Secretary of State serves as the chief elections officer for the state, there are more than 600 statutes that the position oversees, Claeys said. He said it's important to have somebody in the position who understands small business.
The Secretary of State's office is a fee-based agency that survives off of the fees that businesses and other entities pay it. Claeys said the more efficient the office is, the lower fees can be to start a business in the state and to keep that business running.
Claeys also said that it's important to have a Secretary of State who will implement a voter identification law if the Legislature and governor make it law in the future.
Currently, a first-time voter needs to show identification while voting, Claeys said. He said he expects a Republican governor in the future to sign legislation that requires identification for all people when they vote.
He said if voter identification becomes law, he plans on having a state-wide campaign on what voter identification means. The state-wide campaign will be important, he said, because it will educate poll workers and voters and also will prevent long lines for voters and could reduce the amount of provisional ballots counties must deal with after elections.
This is Claeys' third trip to Garden City. Over the weekend, he plans to travel to Topeka to speak with legislators, and in June he plans on making another trip to western Kansas, this time visiting Liberal, Hays and Colby.
Claeys, who has been campaigning since last year for the position, said he will support the Republican that wins the primary election in August.
He also said civic education is important to the Secretary of State job. He's involved in Kids Voting Kansas, a program that allows children to accompany their parents to the polls on election day and then vote in a separate election.
He cited low voter turnouts as an issue for local elections and said encouraging kids to vote at a young age could help change those statistics.
"If people get involved early, if they get involved in their community, then they're going to become more involved in elections and improving their communities," Claeys said.
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