Pat Proctor has been representing Kansas District 41. Ahead of the November 3 elections , Proctor spoke exclusively to HT.com about his views on election integrity, and the many reported controversies on the lawmaker. Now, the Republican is running for Secretary of State, and will face Democrat challenger Jennifer Day.
He recalled one specific day where he was learning about elections, and that day turned out to be January 6, 2021 . Election integrity has been on Proctor’s mind for a long time, as he explained that his interest started from the time he was put on the elections committee as a lawmaker.
The events in Washington DC convinced Proctor even more that restoring public faith in elections was the need of the hour, the GOP candidate told HT.com.
A lot of it has to do with Proctor’s military experience, the politician explained. Proctor, a retired US army colonel, has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other places. Proctor noted that he went on to become the chairman of the elections committee, while he was in legislature. With Scott Schwab running for Governor, Proctor is now running for the Secretary of State. Notably, Proctor had asked AG Kobach to investigate the League of Women Voters over handing out Starbucks gift cards to students registering to vote. The amendment to change the language has been sponsored by Proctor and is up for ballot again in November, after it was shot down in August. The Republican wants the language changed to ‘only citizens’ instead of ‘every citizen’ arguing that the constitution assumes you’d have to be a citizen first to fulfil the criteria to vote. Notably, Day has also stated election security is one of her key focus areas as the Democrat challenger to the Secretary of State seat. The Republican further highlighted issues like dead people being on the voter roll and the need for constant updating, while expressing fears about election theft.
However, the Republican opined that the $5000 cheques Trump has promised if their party wins the midterms is significantly different.
Where he served, was that people didn’t ‘believe in the ballot box to solve their problems’ and it’s not a situation the former military man wanted for the US, according to Proctor the problem in these places. “I felt like it was very important that we have somebody in that office who is focused, really understands elections, and is focused on restoring confidence and bringing people back,” Proctor said explaining his motivation behind running for the post. The AG accordingly directed them to stop, When asked, Proctor said a quid pro quo relation like this was tantamount to bribery. Taking shots at his political opponent, Proctor said that Day told people it’s unfortunate non-citizens cannot vote in the state. When asked about if he believed the 2020 elections were stolen, an often-repeated statement by President Donald Trump, Proctor replied “I am convinced that the results of the elections in 2020, in the state of Kansas reflected the will of Kansas voters.”
