Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Scott Paradise
(913) 485-9266
Hi-Res Photo: Color | B&W
Salina, Kans. -- Yesterday, Shawnee County Elections Commissioner Elizabeth Ensley declared her intent to seek the Republican nomination for Kansas Secretary of State. Under Ensley's leadership, Shawnee County saw huge errors during the 2008 campaign, where nearly 4,000 votes were not properly counted.

In the 2008 primary election, Ensley's office tallied 43 Federal service ballots in an incorrect column, preventing optical scanning machines from uploading their results properly. The error resulted in 4,000 ballots not being counted, and was discovered the next day by a member of her staff. (KTKA, Human Error To Blame, 8/6/08)

"This is like an incompetent employee asking for a promotion." Christian Morgan, Claeys' spokesman said. "We should not turn over the job of the state's chief elections officer to someone who could not handle managing a single county."

Ensley's office has a long history of problems. In 2007, her office issued incomplete vote totals while election results were still being uploaded. The error misled Topeka City Councilwoman Betty Dunn into believing she had won the election. (Topeka Capital-Journal, Confusion Over Win Will Spur Changes 4/5/2007)

"The principal role of the next Secretary of State will be monitoring our elections and preventing voter fraud," Morgan said. "In this epic year for Republicans in Kansas, we cannot afford to have the same mistakes that have been made under Mrs. Ensley's watch happen again."


PHOTO: Official Campaign Photo (Hi-Res)

ABOUT J.R. CLAEYS
J.R. Claeys is a fifth-generation Kansan born and raised in Salina, Kans. He is seeking the Republican nomination for Kansas Secretary of State in the primary election on August 3, 2010. Claeys graduated from Kansas State University, worked as a fundraiser for the Repubican National Committee and served as CEO of a major national business organization. He is a longtime volunteer and serves as a certified international elections observer. Claeys currently lives in Salina and owns a small business that helps nonprofit organizations with their fundraising efforts. Continuing his commitment to Republican causes, Claeys serves on the executive board of the Kansas Young Republicans. For more information, visit www.JRClaeys.com.