It’s shortly past noon in Kansas, and it appears that voting has slowed to a trickle, at least in parts of Douglas, Johnson and Wyandotte counties, all in the northeastern part of the state.
 

At my polling place in Lawrence, roughly 50 people were in line before the polls opened. Election officers were pleased with that, commenting that only 26 people showed up at that precinct for the August primaries. It was an interesting mix of people: Retirees, college students, soldiers in uniform, nurses and professionals.
 

At the University of Kansas, where a polling place is set up at the Burge Union on campus, only a handful of students were casting ballots before 9 a.m. Poll workers told me that they expected a rush at about 10, when students got out of class.
 

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If November 4 seems too far away for you, if you’re really eager to vote, you’re not alone.

About 1/3 of Americans are expected to vote early in this election, giving this election the highest percentage of early voters ever. In the last election, 22 percent of voters cast an early presidential ballot; that number was 16 percent in 2000.

“Across the board, you’ve seen more people voting absentee, early voting. There’s more interest now than there was in years past. It’s a movement that has continued to gain in its popularity,” said said Tom Kise, regional communications director for John McCain’s campaign. Kise oversees communications in Kansas, as well as six other states.

This may be in part due to the campaigns’ proactive hunts for voters who are considering punching the ballot early.

“We aggressively go out searching for early voters, encouraging them to turn their ballots in,” he said.

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LAWRENCE — It’s been a busy couple of weeks as the Democrats and Republicans held their conventions.

In Kansas, some were disappointed that our governor, Kathleen Sebelius, was passed up as Barack Obama’s vice presidential candidate. After all, as they’re finding out in Alaska, it would have been pretty cool for our state.

As I’ve followed the conventions and the bob-and-weave of polls – Obama’s on top! No, it’s McCain! – I’ve been able to hear what young people in Kansas are talking about, now that the tickets are solidified.

Surprisingly, not everyone has found a perfect match.

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Ben Daniels might only be 14 years old, but he's already helped legislators sign bills to help the environment. His artwork is inspired by the earth, and he's proof that one person can make a difference. You can see Ben's work at www.bendanielsart.com.

In 2004, one of the big buzzwords surrounding the election was “swift boating,” as in attempts to discredit John Kerry’s Vietnam service. This year, we’re hearing all about green, green, green.

And the man behind both these campaigns? One T. Boone Pickens, a billionaire oilman from Texas, who is now making headlines promoting wind energy as a way to relieve the United States’ dependence on foreign oil.

This week Pickens is presenting his plan in Topeka. According to his Web site, the U.S. uses 25 million of the world’s 85 million barrel daily production. Yet Pickens and others say the U.S. is the “Saudi Arabia of wind power.”

And Kansas could very well be Riyadh.

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When Greensburg, Kan., was flattened by a massive tornado in early May 2005, it would have been easy to give up. The town's old buildings and its high school were gone; 10 people were killed. But young people in Greensburg have stuck around, and they're more excited than ever about their city, which is being built as a totally "green" town.

With public opinion swinging hard against the war in Iraq, and frustration mounting about progress made in Afghanistan, American soldiers know challenges exist on and off the battlefield. But as I found out while I was embedded with troops from the 1st Infantry Division during their training at Fort Irwin, Calif., soldiers just ask for the support of the public.

They know that the public has problems with the war, five years in and more than 4,000 Americans dead. But to keep the morale of our fighting men and women high, they ask that you give them the benefit of the doubt. Hear their own words here (more below):

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Last week, I vlogged about why people are saying that Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius would make a solid vice presidential choice for Barack Obama.

But not everyone has a rosy outlook about Sebelius. In fact, some are saying she’d be a detriment to Obama’s campaign.

While she is very popular in Kansas, has been able to bridge the gap between Republicans and Democrats and could reel in Hillary supporters, Sebelius is light on experience outside of Kansas.

While John McCain trumps his experience in terms of national security, as well as his service in the Navy, Sebelius has next to no international experience.

Writes The Washington Post's Chris Cilizza: “Given McCain's strategy, for Obama to pick someone with even less experience than [Obama] has on national security and foreign policy matters makes very little sense.

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Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was unknown to many before she gave the Dems' response to President Bush's SOTU speech in January. Since then, her profile has skyrocketed, and now she's high on many pundits' lists for vice president. Here's why people are saying Sebelius could be the next veep:

So...how did you spend your summer vacation? Does it compare to the nine Kansas teens who ran from their hometown of Wichita to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness of genocide in Darfur? To learn more about the Never Ignore, Never Forget relay, visit its Web site:www.neverignore.org