By ALICIA FEYERHERM
Fort Hays State University student Noah Erichsen presented for the second Times Talk of the semester March 1 for the American Democracy Project.
Erichsen, who is running for the Kansas House of Representatives in District 108, spoke about the importance of bipartisanship and young legislators.
Bipartisanship is declining. In 1979, half of states had both a Republican and Democratic senator. The 2020 Senate only has six states with bipartisan senators.
“This is very troubling for the next generation because it really shows our partisan divides,” Erichsen said.
Kansas especially lacks bipartisanship. The longest seat that has been held by the same political party are Kansas’ two seats. Roger Marshall’s seat has been a Republican seat since March 1919. Jerry Moran’s seat has been held by a Republican since January 1939.
“In my opinion, Congress has not been doing anything that benefits both sides,” Erichsen said.
Erichsen quoted Patrick Henry, one of the founding fathers, who said: “United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy the union upon which our existence hangs.”
In the current political climate, Erichsen said people need to turn away from hate and look towards compassion for the other side.
Erichsen pointed out key policies that were only passed through bipartisan support. Those policies include the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Food Stamp Program of 1977, Social Security Reform of 1983, Americans with Disabilities Act 1990, Reaction to September 11, 2001 and No Child Left Behind Educational Bill 2001.
Elected officials who sponsor bipartisan bills have 29% better approval ratings.
“Why do we no longer engage in this (bipartisanship) is the big question,” Erichsen said. “It promotes trust in government and trust in all the people.”
Erichsen mentioned the need for young legislators, citing only 25 Kansas legislators are younger than 45 years old, making up only 15% of the 165 legislators. That is nowhere close to proportionately representing 60% of the state’s population younger than 44.
“How can we justify that 60 percent of Kansan are represented by only 25 people of the 165 when that demographic has different values and a different future that we’re looking towards,” Erichsen said.
One benefit Erichsen sees in electing younger legislators is young people are more impacted by the legislation in the long-term and therefore are more invested in the outcome.
“I’ll be more apt to work for something that I know I will come see to pass than someone who is 70 years old and for them it’s more of an experiment,” Erichsen said. “I know it has to work because I have to live through it.”
Erichsen said the status of young politicians is rising in recent years, but is not as high as it could be.
“Right now, what America needs is a generation of young people with the belief in the American Dream,” Erichsen said. “We need to give them a chance.”