This was written in 2020, but somehow it still feels relevant. www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-IH...

2020: A Long Year by Miracle Of Sound

YouTube video by miracleofsound

youtube.com

Reminders: AUGUST 4th PRIMARY! You can look up your ballot before you vote on Ballotpedia ballotpedia.org/Main_Page and on the state website myvoteinfo.voteks.org/VoterView My website has a directory of federal and statewide candidates' campaign websites www.samuellane.org/othercandida...

Ballotpedia

Ballotpedia is the digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections. Our goal is to inform people about politics by providing accurate and objective information about politics at all levels of ...

ballotpedia.org

This is important, so I want to be completely clear. (1 of 2) I knew when I filed to run that I'd be stepping into the hot seat. I'm volunteering for this because this is the time when America needs people who are willing to step into the fire to defend democracy.

For the military, your hormone levels are no longer your and your doctor's private business. Figures; ever since adopting the abortion issue, Republicans have been lousy at the whole bodily autonomy thing. www.military.com/hegseth-orde... This makes me glad the army declared me physically unfit.

Hegseth Orders Mandatory Testosterone Screening, Optional TRT for Troops 30 & Older

Beards, body fat, fitness tests, and now hormones. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's campaign continues to remake the force.

military.com

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Hold the Line.

ACLU@aclu.org · 2w ago

President Trump is desperate to pass the SAVE America Act ahead of the midterm elections to install onerous show-your-papers requirements to register to vote and prevent millions from casting our ballots. Demand that your members of Congress hold the line and defend our democracy.

For the next 2 weeks, I'm changing my campaign slogan to "Sam Lane -- the candidate Johnson County doesn't want you to know about".

I knew that I was the underdog candidate, but I didn't realize I was The *Secret* Candidate

Today, Johnson County Democrats texted me a list of Democratic Party candidates in the August 4th primary. A certain name that starts with Sam and ends with Lane was left off this list. www.jocodems.org/2026-candida... I think someone wants to start a rivalry.

2026 Candidate Guide — Johnson County Democratic Party

Johnson County Democratic Party

jocodems.org

It's only temporary, but it's some kind of good news. lawrencekstimes.com/2026/07/16/k...

Kansas judge issues injunction temporarily blocking repeal of voters’ 3-day grace period

A Douglas County judge issued a temporary injunction Thursday to allow the counting of advance mail ballots postmarked by Election Day but arriving at county offices up to three days after polls close...

lawrencekstimes.com

If we're talking about China interfering in the 2020 election, are we going to start talking about Russia interfering in the 2016? Or do we only question the elections that don't go our way?

HE'S FINALLY DRAINING THE SWAMP! www.cnn.com/2026/07/07/p... And here I thought that was an empty promse.

Reflecting Pool being drained – again – as Trump administration tries once more to fix landmark | CNN Politics

Crews began draining the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Sunday, according to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, for the second time in three months.

cnn.com

They also claimed Alex Pretti was a mass shooter, right up until the point where they couldn't ignore the video proving his innocence any longer.

NPR@npr.org · 4w ago

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was a 52-year-old Mexican national who worked in construction for more than three decades. The father of three was shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after they attempted to pull him over. n.pr/4vQcKMm

To be clear, the Election Assistance Commission is... WAS about resources and guidance for elections, and didn't have any real direct power. But this is still bad.

ACLU@aclu.org · 4w ago

This is another attempt by President Trump to interfere in our elections and make way for more executive overreach. We’re not going to allow politicians to weaponize their power against the people.

Here's a quick infodump on the SAVE Kansas Act. I'm still digesting its implications. TEXT kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bil... NEWS ARTICLE kansasreflector.com/2026/03/27/k... ACLU REACTION www.aclukansas.org/legislation/... We all know Pat Proctor has a weird grudge against mail-in ballots.

Today, for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, I showed up to march the Lenexa parade and quickly learned the parade had been cancelled due to inclement weather. I feel like there's a metaphor in here somewhere.

Starting at 9:25, Clint Smith sums my feelings about the good and the bad of America in an elegantly concise way. www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...

What it means to be Black in a military controlled by Trump and Hegseth

Some Black members of the U.S. military feel the Trump administration has been trying to erase their accomplishments and history.

wbur.org

Today, as in 2010 (Citizens United), the Supreme Court ruled that campaign money counts as free speech. That means rich people get lots of free speech, and us poor are unworthy of much free speech. That is why I'm using what little free speech I have to say The Supreme Court Can Kiss My Ass.

The fact that the Secretary of State's website went down right before the deadline to change your party affiliation highlights just how much we need a better site with better architecture and cybersecurity. So, um, thanks for demonstrating the need for what I'm trying to get done, I guess.

Liberal was a 6 hour drive each way. Oberlin was 6 hours each way Garden City: 6 hrs Pratt: 4 hrs Hays: 4 hrs When I say that, when elected I'll visit every Kansas county's election office, you better believe I can. You better believe I will. Looking forward to visiting Winfield and Salina.

INFORMATION: Fusion voting I only learned about this recently. Apparently it's another system to help encourage minor parties, this time by letting multiple parties claim the same candidate. protectdemocracy.org/work/fusion-...

Fusion voting, explained

Fusion voting allows more than one political party to nominate the same candidate on the ballot, empowering minor parties to unite a cross-ideological coalition behind a single candidate.

protectdemocracy.org

I got a mention from the Kansas branch of Social Democrats, USA. www.facebook.com/share/p/1DL6...

"It's going to be the greatest arch." No one tell him about St. Louis, MO

Alt National Park Service@altnps.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Is Congress finally growing a spine? A group of lawmakers warned the Trump administration that officials could face fines and criminal prosecution if they move forward with Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch in Washington without approval from Congress.

A guy at my job wants me to implement facial recognition technology to make it so we can vote on our phones. I saw how badly that technology works when I had to go through the id.me thing to get my tax refund. The technology is NOT ready for something as serious as elections.

ACLU@aclu.org · 2mo ago

When police rely on facial recognition technology in an attempt to identify suspects, innocent people like our clients Robert Dillon and Kimberlee Williams get arrested for crimes they didn't commit. We're fighting back.

INFORMATION: Majority Runoff This is another system devised to give small parties a chance so we're not all forced to choose between Ds and Rs. It's more work than Ranked Choice because it usually requires a whole second round of elections. usafacts.org/articles/how...

Nearly 1/3 of disabled voters face barriers to casting their ballots. President Trump's executive order attacking mail-in voting threatens one of the few accessible ways to participate in our democracy for millions of disabled voters. We're suing to block the executive order.

Mail-In Voting is a Lifeline for Voters with Disabilities

Trump’s executive order against mail-in ballots limits voting accessibility and keeps voters with disabilities out of the election process.

aclu.org

Information: Ranked Choice voting Ranked choice is a system where you mark your ballot with 1st choice, then 2nd, 3rd, et cetera. If no candidate gets a majority, they eliminate the guy in last place and count again. A handful of states already use it. electiondesk.org/2026/01/18/r...

Ranked-Choice Voting Explained (Without the Spin)

Ranked-choice voting (RCV) allows voters to rank candidates by preference, enhancing democracy by reducing spoilers and encouraging broader appeal. However, it introduces complexity and potential c…

electiondesk.org

www.thedailybeast.com/whistleblowe...

Whistleblower Exposes Trump Goons’ Jaw-Dropping Social Security Plot

The plan involved exploiting a database known as the “Death Master File.”

thedailybeast.com

If members of Congress truly want to push back on President Trump's abuse of power, they must vote no on reauthorizing the mass surveillance program his administration is using to spy on Americans without a warrant. Reauthorizing Section 702 of FISA would be a disaster for our privacy rights.

Opinion | Democrats who call Trump a dictator have no business giving him this power

Section 702 of the of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is a mass surveillance program presidents of both parties have abused.

ms.now

Can someone explain to me why the richest and most populous county in Kansas shut down 8 early voting locations? www.kshb.com/news/local-n...

Johnson County voters see early voting location cuts, changes ahead of August primary election

While voters in De Soto and Spring Hill each gain an in-person early voting option, eight other sites across Johnson County will no longer be available ahead of the August primary election.

kshb.com

The Writ of Habeas Corpus is one of the key rights the Constitution grants us. It's echoed in the Kansas Constitution. It's paramount that we defend it, because rights aren't really rights if they only apply when we want them to. www.kcur.org/2026-05-20/i...

How a centuries-old legal tool helped Missouri and Kansas immigrants leave ICE detention

Noncitizens routinely won release or a bond hearing, according to a review of habeas corpus cases from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. But the legal landscape is changing.

kcur.org