For too long, Kansans have deferred maintenance of our shared infrastructure. There’s work to do.

The Kansas Statehouse dome lurks between tree branches March 26, 2026. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

Buildings and republics are both susceptible to deferred maintenance. The mold that develops from roof leaks addressed only with buckets, the concentration of power among wealthy elites and corporations resulting from unfettered dark money, and the loss of voting rights that comes from passing legislation designed to suppress the vote — these are all examples of how both buildings and democratic institutions deteriorate without proactive care.

Kansas land, water, wildlife, schools, universities, hospitals, courts, government institutions and our right to vote are all part of the commons — they’re all part of the shared infrastructure, democratic norms and natural resources. On Aug. 4 and Nov. 3, voters will make the call on whether to keep deferring that maintenance.

Kansas K-12 public school facilities’ 2025 deferred maintenance levels were estimated to be about $316 million — the sum of a $157.8 million annual maintenance and operations shortfall and a $158.2 million annual capital renewal gap (2025 State of Our Schools, Kansas profile). Deferred maintenance, through inflation and the additional problems created by it, always costs more down the road. It’s been estimated that every dollar of deferred maintenance costs four to six dollars later. This doesn’t include the harm to students’ learning or occupant health.

Yet we choose to let these parts of our commons decay while the Legislature and governor hand subsidies to professional sports stadiums and 20-year tax breaks to data centers (which can strain local energy and water resources).

Our social and governmental infrastructure is also on the line. Will voters continue electing officials who refuse to expand Medicaid? Who starve our state government to fund tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, underfunding special education and other parts of the commons in the process? And the Aug. 4 amendment to elect Supreme Court justices and abolish their merit-based selection is a partisan attempt to undermine the court’s independence. Justices could have greater allegiance to party and special interest groups than the state’s Constitution or its citizens.

Unfortunately, these same Republican leaders are also trying to limit Kansans’ ability to vote at all. The new House Bill 2437 voter roll purge (facing an ACLU and League of Women Voters challenge), the voting eligibility amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot and the end of the three-day grace period for mail-in ballots are all designed to suppress the vote.

This is occurring amid the Trump administration’s own efforts to undermine voting, including dismissing the Democrats on the Election Assistance Commission and aggressively pushing the inaptly named SAVE America Act (of course HB 2437 is named the SAVE Kansas Act). Voting is a defining ritual of a democratic society. Impinging on that right says you no longer belong; you can no longer help maintain your society.

Protecting and maintaining the commons and ensuring equitable access to its resources — healthcare, education, healthy food, clean air and water, energy, land for growing and recreation, affordable housing, a voice in governance — isn’t radical. It isn’t extremist. It’s one of our oldest adaptive strategies as humans.

Crumbling infrastructure, environmental degradation, corruption and wealth gaps are all outcomes of the commons’ deferred maintenance. They’re both symptoms and causes of societal decay. Coming together to protect the commons is the antidote: It’s how we coexist and cooperate with one another while protecting the resources we all need to thrive, benefiting every Kansan.

Kansans for Conservation is an example of this. The diverse coalition of 40-plus agricultural, environmental, educational, and recreational organizations are dedicated to protecting Kansas’s natural heritage, working lands, water quality and wildlife habitats. The group has successfully introduced bipartisan legislation, House Bill 2063, to establish a dedicated state-level fund for conservation efforts and will build on that success during the next legislative session.

This isn’t an extremist endeavor. I doubt the Kansas Farm Bureau would consider itself radical. No, this is basic maintenance of the commons.

Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto and the courts have been the commons’ last line of defense, even if they haven’t always been successful. If the MAGA/authoritarian right maintains control over the Legislature while taking the governorship, and the courts become partisan, those checks are gone.

In this 250th anniversary year of our nation, let’s recognize that the commons is something we inherit, protect, maintain, improve and pass on to future generations.

Marcel Harmon is an anthropologist, engineer and former Lawrence school board member. Through its opinion section, the Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.