In today’s fiercely partisan environment, elected officials struggle to balance their party loyalties with their responsibilities as representatives of the public they serve.
Most falter, unable to rise above their tribal instincts: Witness Kris Kobach’s failed 2020 Senate campaign.
Still, a few do achieve a successful equilibrium. Governor Laura Kelly comes to mind.
It appears that Secretary of State Scott Schwab has also established a favorable balance.
A couple weeks ago, he launched a well-orchestrated campaign against the United States Postal Service.
In a letter to the postmaster general, Schwab blamed USPS for the disqualification of voters in the Kansas primaries.
Specifically, voters had sent their mail ballots in a timely manner, well before Election Day. But the ballots either arrived late, past the three-day post-election grace period, or without an essential postmark.
Under Kansas law, the ballots could not be counted.
Through no fault of their own, nearly 1,000 primary voters — approximately two percent of all mail-in votes — were unfairly disenfranchised.
Bear in mind local elections are often decided by narrow margins. State House District 51 in Leavenworth was decided by a mere 22 votes.
In 2017, the legislature adopted the 3-day grace period in part because of concerns about slow mail delivery.
This is therefore not a new concern, nor a trivial one.
Secretary Schwab recognized the ramifications extended well beyond Kansas to the presidential battle grounds.
In these states, the political climate is highly charged, with intense pressures mounting on election officials and the postal service.
Even a small number of mail-in ballots thrown out could be decisive.