Kansas Patriots Douglas County Chapter host first meeting

LAWRENCE – A humble beginning to a new chapter for Kansas Patriots kicked off on Sunday, August 20 at 6:00 p.m. at Spin Pizza in Lawrence, Kansas. Under the direction of chapter leader Amy Baughman, a total of eight people joined together to pray, introduce themselves, and discuss goals and important issues for the group.

Kansas Patriots now has three chapters, and focuses on three things: God, family, and country. According to their Facebook page, the group is “for making change in how to better serve our cities, our counties, and our state.” They also accept members from all surrounding states, with their main goal being to “get elected officials to work for the people and the will of the people.”

“We decided there was a need in Douglas County because Amy has expressed that there is no involvement,” Vice President for Kansas Patriots April McCoy said. “She goes to the City Council meetings, other events, and she speaks. There’s nobody there, and recently she was tripped by a person on the other side of the fence.”

McCoy also said Baughman has been moving forward anyway, but has felt discouraged at times in her efforts. McCoy said she told Baughman to gather her friends and tell them about Kansas Patriots and what they are trying to do, clarifying that they want the Constitution honored through peaceful means.

The meeting started with the topic of former President Donald Trump’s indictments urging people to reach out to elected officials to see what they are doing regarding the issue.

U.S. Senate Bill 1487, also known as the “Protecting Election Administration from Interference Act of 2023” was another topic of great interest for the group. Sponsored by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), this bill was read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration on May 9 of this year, but no further actions have been taken. This bill would amend the wording in the Civil Rights Act of 1960 to include “electronic records” in regards to retention and preservation of records and papers by officers of elections.

Baughman stated at the meeting that any move toward voting machines would be “counter productive” as the group believes paper ballots are the most secure method for elections.

Baughman also said in a text to The Kansas Constitutional that she was happy with the number of people that showed up and is looking forward to meeting new people with the hope of getting more people involved as meetings continue.

The meeting lasted until 8:00 p.m. The Douglas County chapter will be meeting monthly with the next meeting date and place to be determined.