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VOTE411 Voter Guide

Kansas Senate, District 02

The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators representing an equal amount of districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members of the Senate are elected to a four-year term. There is no limit to the number of terms that a senator may serve.

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  • Candidate picture

    Marci Francisco
    (Dem)

  • Candidate picture

    David G. Miller
    (Rep)

Biographical Information

What makes you the best candidate for this position? What skills, expertise, or competencies qualify you?

What are Kansas's three most important issues, and how do you intend to address them?

How would you make it easier for Kansas citizens to follow bills as they flow through the legislature? What, if any, changes would you propose in the “Gut and Go” process?

Would you support changes to Kansas election laws and voting systems? Why?

Ballot City Lawrence
Campaign Web Site http://marciforsenate.com
Personal Biography I was first elected to the Kansas Senate in 2004. I served on the Lawrence City Commission from 1979-83, leading efforts to protect the downtown, plan for neighborhoods, and begin Lawrence’s recycling program. My background is in architecture; I taught at KU and worked there in Landscape Architecture, Facilities Planning, Space Management, and the Center for Sustainability. My husband, Joe Bickford and I, both now retired, renovate housing and make it affordable.
Education BACHELOR’S DEGREE, ARCHITECTURE SPRING 1977 The University of Kansas CERTIFICATE OF TRANSPORT STUDIES SPRING 1976 University of London BACHELOR'S OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN SPRING 1973 The University of Kansas
Community/Public Service MEMBER, KANSAS SENATE JANUARY 2005 – PRESENT NAMED A Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Foundation; Non-Rotarian of the Year for 2020 Lawrence, Kansas MEMBER, NEIGHBORHOOD RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT BOARD SEPT. 2004 – 2008 MEMBER, BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS NOV. 1994 – SEPT. 2000 MEMBER, LAWRENCE RECYCLING AND RESOURCE CONSERVATION BOARD 1986 – 1989 MEMBER, LAWRENCE CITY COMMISSION APRIL 1979 – APRIL 1983 I am a founder and have been a board member of the Oread Neighborhood Association (now Oread Resident’s Association) and the Lawrence Preservation Alliance. I have been a board member and past president of the Community Mercantile Cooperative Grocery, the Kansas Grassroots Arts Association, Headquarters (suicide prevention), the Lawrence-Douglas County League of Women Voters. I have also served on Community Development Advisory Board, Lawrence Recycling and Resource Conservation Board, Board of Zoning Appeals, Neighborhood Resources Development
My knowledge, experience and relationships make me the best candidate for Senate District 2. During my time in the Kansas Senate, I have earned a reputation for focusing on details. Reading the specifics in the bills and understanding the math are critical when it comes to legislation. Too often when things are rushed details can be overlooked. I pride myself on working with all the stakeholders while advocating for my district’s needs. I have worked to both promote the interests of my constituents and listen to the interests my colleagues for their constituents. On some issues we will not agree but much of the time, by focusing on what brings us together, Kansans can be helped.
Education funding, healthcare, and conserving natural resources, Public dollars should support public, not private, education. Adequate funding must include funding special education’s excess costs; additional funding is needed for free school meals and early childhood education.

Medicaid expansion could help maintain hospitals, support healthcare providers, and reduce everyone’s insurance costs. I support maternal, reproductive, and gender affirming healthcare and hope to re-introduce SB 206 from 2023 to address Kansas abortion laws.

Resources to improve agriculture practices can reduce inputs and increase soil health. A statewide building code would help energy efficiency. Riparian buffers, reducing irrigation, address water concerns.
The calendar should provide adequate notice, allowing time to submit testimony. “Action on Bills Previously Heard” should not be allowed in the calendar; when the bill numbers are not identified, it is more difficult to follow action on a particular bill and it hinders legislators in having amendments available for debate.

The “gut and go” process bypasses a bill being heard in both chambers and when language from another bill is given a different bill number it’s harder to follow the process. I suggest that anytime the title of a bill is changed, the bill must be put up again for debate in the house of origin before being sent to a conference committee.
I would like to see same-day registration. Voters using same-day registration would use provisional ballots, giving county election officials and canvassing boards opportunities to confirm eligibility. Until we have that, I would like canvassing boards to be allowed to count provisional ballots not only from registered voters who have moved within the same county but also any registered voters from anywhere else in the state.

I would like to see a requirement for all counties to have weekend voting hours during the advance voting period.

Because of the current delays in mail processing, the recently enacted limit on the number of ballots any one person may return to an election office or a ballot drop box should be increased.
Ballot City Lawrence
Campaign Web Site http://DavidGMiller.com
Campaign Phone 7858561656
Campaign Address P O BOX 3073
Mailing Address Lawrence, KS 66046
Personal Biography Former State Rep.,
Education University of Kansas BA in Political Science
Community/Public Service Active in Community Service
I have extensive experience in both government and the private sector as a 30+ year business owner. I understand how to work with people. I believe my connections within the Republican Party will help me represent Lawrence and impact the process.
1. Inflation and the poor economy 2. Outrageous overspending by government at all levels 3. Giving our children hope for a better tomorrow and insuring that important decisions are made by the parents who are ultimately responsible for their children.

We must stop the excessive spending. It cannot be sustained. There are dire consequences for our children when all the borrowing must be paid back. Politicians must be willing to say NO.
I believe any amendment considered by the Senate should meet the test of germaneness .
It is clear to me that our voter rolls need attention. A recent experience at a west Lawrence home makes the point. I knocked and a mature lady responded. As usual, I simply explained my visit and gave her my "open letter" asking for her consideration. As l usually do, I checked my voter list to be sure it was correct. There were two different last names. She confirmed her name and then told me the couple listed at her address no longer lived there. She bought the house from them over 10 years ago and she was sure they now live in a different state. On closer examination, my list told me each had voted in the 2020 and 2022 general election. She told me the co. clerk refused to do anything. Election integrity is a must. This must be fixed!