The Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce Government Matters Committee and League of Women Voters’ final legislative dialogue of the year drew a significant crowd to the Trusler Business Center Tuesday night.
The large attendance came as a bit of a surprise to 17th district Senator Jeff Longbine of Emporia who says final dialogues are traditionally sparsely attended. He attributes the uptick to the number of divisive issues currently at the forefront of nationwide dialogue including gun control.
During Tuesday’s dialogue, Longbine stated he believes if any significant gun legislation is to be passed and have any notable effect, it’ll have to come from the federal level.
60th district Representative Mark Schreiber of Emporia believes if we are ever to find a way to reduce gun violence we have to begin by looking at solutions rather than simply debating the causes.
Another notable issue that has inflamed the passions of voters at the local and national levels is abortion. In Kansas, the “Value Them Both” amendment on this year’s primary ballot has generated a significant amount of debate, although lawmakers believe individuals are not arguing the right issue.
Lawmakers agree voters believe the amendment focuses solely on whether or not abortion should be legal. At least at the state level, that is not the case as 76th district Representative Eric Smith of Burlington points out.
Smith, Schreiber and Longbine all encourage voters to make sure they are focusing on the facts and not letting emotions dictate how they view any given topic.
The primary election will be held Aug. 2. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 8.
You can find more election information on local races on LyonCounty.org/election. State election information is available at sos.ks.gov.
