August 4, 2014

To the Editor: As stated in Joan Strickler’s letter July 30, it is sad that only about 20 percent of the qualified voters in Riley County participate in primary elections.

The primary election Tuesday is too crucial to miss because key federal and state positions are on the Riley County Republican and Democratic ballots, including a U.S. Senate seat; the 1st Congressional District seat, and governor of Kansas, as well as other state and county offices.

Several of these key positions have multiple candidates on the ballots, so voters will determine who will run against the candidates nominated by the other party. Hence, this first step in the election process is as important as the general election in November in selecting our elected officials.

Information about your polling location and sample ballots is readily available online at www.rileycounty.gov, so you can review the candidates before you go to the polls. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Voting information also is available on the League of Women Voters website at lwv.manhattanks.org. You also can request the LWV’s excellent brochure, Guide to Government, which lists all federal, state, Riley County, City of Manhattan, and USD 383 Board of Education elected officials and pertinent contact information.

If you don’t get out and vote in the primary, you are missing an important opportunity to determine your federal, state and local elected officials. Please take the time to voice your candidate preferences by voting on Tuesday.

Jean Lee and Enell Foerster Co-Presidents, League of Women Voters

901 Ivy Circle

Barbara Gatewood, President, Manhattan Branch, AAUW

2921 Tatarrax Drive

July 30, 2014

To the Editor:

How said it is that, generally, only 20 percent of the qualified voters in Riley County participate in primary elections. Primary elections are so important – they determine the choice of candidates you will have to select from in November’s general election.

Independent voters not now affiliated with the Republican or Democratic parties have the option to declare a party affiliation at their polling place on the day they vote. In Kansas, a voter must belong to one of the two parties to be able to vote in the primary.

Once the results of the primary election are certified at the end of August, a person may declare a different party or return to being an independent simply by visiting the County Clerk’s office in the Courthouse.

So simple. So important. Please make yourself heard Aug. 5.

Joan Strickler

July 16, 2014

To the Editor:

Last Sunday, The New York Times ran a front-page story on the experience of a student (who agreed to be identified by her first name, Anna) at an East Coast college. Anna allegedly endured a criminal sexual assault by male students.

After reporting the violent attack, she endured a second nightmare during what her lawyer refers to as an appalling mishandling of her case by Hobart and William Smith colleges. The young woman has bravely come forward to tell her story in the national media even though she has received threats, harassment and shunning since reporting the alleged assault. I join with the American Association of University Women (AAUW) in urging us all to change the American culture of victim-blaming in cases of sexual violence. A 2007 campus sexual assault study by Department of Justice found that around one in five college women are targets of attempted or completed sexual assault. In addition, one in 16 college men are targets of sexual assault. The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network reports that college-aged women are four times more likely than any other age group to face sexual assault. According to the Department of Justice study, less than 5 percent of rapes and attempted rapes of college students are reported to campus authorities or law enforcement.

The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act was signed in 2013. The law includes a section addressing sexual violence on campus — specifically sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. As universities do their part to address sexual violence on campus, the community can help, too, by starting conversations to end the culture of victim-blaming.

The threats and harassment many assault victims receive after coming forward are fueled by rampant victim-blaming by people (including in the media) who worry disproportionately about the effect the legal penalty will have on the perpetrator rather than being concerned about the lasting impact on the survivor’s life.

Sexual violence and the coverup of such crimes is a gross human rights violation. Kansas has already made significant strides by joining 20 other states in passing legislation to eliminate the statute of limitations on rape cases. Women like Anna deserve a fair legal process resulting in justice. A fair process cannot exist so long as Americans engage in victimblaming. We can do better as a community and as a nation. To learn about preventing sexual violence on campuses, visit aauw.org.

Katie Kingery-Page, Secretary AAUW Manhattan Branch