As a candidate for elected office myself in the upcoming Aug. 3 primary election, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage people who are not already registered to vote to please do so.

You can accomplish this in one of two ways.

The first is online at www.kssos.org, which is perhaps the fastest way. The second is via your local county clerks office, where all that is required is the filling out of a form with basic information.

With Kansans of both political parties deciding who they want to represent them in the primary and then advance to the general election (Nov. 2, 2010), it is imperative that people become involved in the process now, if they want to make a difference.

While every election is important, the importance of these particular elections cannot be underscored enough in my opinion.

Offices to be elected or retained include the following: one U.S. senator, all four U.S. representatives, governor/lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state treasurer, commissioner of insurance, all 125 state representatives, State Board of Education (Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9), Supreme Court justices (Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 5), four Kansas Court of Appeals judges, District Court judges (40 retained, 29 elected), and District Magistrate judges (16 retained, two elected).

It's also important to remember that if you are considering a run for office in Kansas, (and I sincerely hope you do) you first have to be registered to vote before you can file as a candidate (via the county clerk or secretary of state's office).

The deadline for filing as a candidate in the primary election is noon June 10; for independent nominations it's noon Aug. 2.

It seems every year I see elected positions on the ballot where only one person, or nobody at all, has filed to run for a particular office -- usually at the county, local and township level. In such a situation, there is no real choice involved.

In light of how very important some of these elected offices are in some cases, it's a travesty and shame to see that happen. Especially in a democracy where "choice" is the key to determining the future course and direction of our state and nation.

While I would love to talk about some extremely important issues facing the state of Kansas, like the looming budget crisis, Medicare and education funding (or should I say the lack thereof) -- I would be remiss in my duty if I didn't first encourage as many people in Kansas as possible to register to vote and become involved in the political process.

Even if I manage nothing more in my campaign than to encourage a single person to register and vote in the election, I feel I have preformed an invaluable public service.

Ultimately, however, it's up to each of us to make our democracy work both in terms of application and function.

Robert Tilford, Republican candidate for Kansas State Representative, District 118

La Crosse