<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605037521150.png" alt="Voters lined up in cars to deliver mail ballots at a Shawnee County drop box in Topeka. As voters become skittish about the status of their mail ballots, some voted in-person via provisional ballot. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Voters lined up in cars to deliver mail ballots at a Shawnee County drop box in Topeka. As voters become skittish about the status of their mail ballots, some voted in-person via provisional ballot. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAN GLICKMAN Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture I am no expert on recent 
Kansas politics — it’s been 25 years since I represented the state’s 4th
 Congressional District. But I watched the election results from Kansas 
with enormous interest, always considering the state where I was born 
and served in Congress for 18 years to be my home. Having some time and 
geographical distance gives one a certain perspective.Though Kansas reflected the national trends in many respects, it is also unique in its political history and demography.From my vantage point, here are the good, the bad and the ugly realities of the 2020 election in Kansas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599830697632.png" alt="Dan Glickman is the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, a nongovernmental, nonpartisan educational program for members of the United States Congress. He was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 until January 2001." />
 <figcaption>Dan Glickman is the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, a nongovernmental, nonpartisan educational program for members of the United States Congress. He was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 until January 2001.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The good</h2>Both parties worked diligently to communicate with their voters and <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/03/kansas-voters-champion-civic-duty-having-their-voice-heard-in-record-breaking-election/">increase turnout</a>.
 We had record voter turnout in Kansas and most other places in the 
country. The election process in the state by and large went smoothly 
and without incident, whether one voted in person or absentee, which is 
remarkable given that COVID-19 has infected nearly 100,000 Kansans and 
has killed more than 1,000.Election officials and 
voters actively participated in our political process, without incident,
 at a time of a cruel public health pandemic. It appears that large 
numbers of younger voters participated, which is healthy for the future 
of our democracy.Further, the election of 
Joe Biden will likely be helpful to Gov. Laura Kelly as the state deals 
with public health, economic and budget issues. Both are Democrats, but 
each has a long history of bipartisanship and working across the aisle 
to be true problem solvers.Notwithstanding <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/05/as-gop-cements-supermajority-in-legislature-democrats-realize-they-can-just-really-walk-over-us/">Republican victories in the state Legislature</a>, a strong relationship with the White House will be helpful to our state and to Kelly personally.<h2>The bad</h2>Pre-election polling in 
both state and federal races was incredibly inaccurate. Political 
scientists should drill down on the reasons for the inconsistencies and 
inaccuracies, but I suspect the failure of candidates to campaign person
 to person because of the pandemic, the lack of sufficient independent 
media coverage of local and state elections and the sometimes insidious 
role of social media all had a lot to do with this.In addition, there was a 
huge amount of inaccurate information being disseminated on both sides, 
but particularly on the political right, whose candidates <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/28/laturner-renews-suspect-claim-democratic-opponent-strives-to-defund-police/">labeled Democrats as being in favor</a> of defunding the police and portrayed them as socialists.The <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/03/u-s-senate-the-marshall-and-bollier-showdown-in-kansas/">incredible amount of campaign money</a>,
 some of it “dark” and not easily transparent, facilitated the spread of
 falsehoods much more easily than in years past. That money often 
exacerbated a vicious toxic political tone that does not encourage 
collaboration.<h2>The ugly</h2>It is disappointing that 
so many Republican leaders, in Kansas and elsewhere, have yet to 
acknowledge that Biden has won the Presidency — something they likely 
would be heralding if the electoral numbers were reversed.What disturbs me the most 
is the tribalism that afflicts Kansas and American politics. Republicans
 rarely cross over and support Democrats and vice versa. A review of 
voting in Kansas counties reflects this trend.That missing streak of historic Kansas political independence is so harmful in making compromises for the common good.One positive exception is 
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, who was re-elected to Congress from the one 
Kansas congressional district that currently trends middle of the road. 
But her victory was also due to her working across the aisle on so many 
issues affecting her district.During the prehistoric era
 when I served in Congress, Kansas voters elected people of both parties
 to federal and statewide and legislative offices, which I think made 
Kansas a stronger state, and a more relevant one as well.Let’s hope the election of
 Joe Biden will inspire us to an era of less toxic political rhetoric, 
less partisan infighting and more collaboration to actually get things 
done. Encouraging the media to better cover local and state politics and
 policy and continuing to encourage civic education for the increasing 
number of younger voters participating in the political process would 
help to bring about positive change in Kansas and elsewhere.As Biden recently said, 
“The purpose of our politics, the work of our nation, isn’t to fan the 
flames of conflict, but to solve problems. We may be opponents but we 
are not enemies. We are Americans.”Dan Glickman is the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program, a nongovernmental, nonpartisan educational program for members of the United States Congress. He was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 until January 2001.

OPINION: The good, the bad and the ugly of 2020 election in Kansas