Freedom isn't free. For Sean Tevis, the price of democracy is $8.34. The 39-year-old Olathan, a Democratic candidate for the Kansas House of Representatives, knew fundraising would be an obstacle — he was a political newbie. So on his campaign Web site, Tevis posted a comic featuring stick figures that imitated xkcd, a popular Web comic, and used a lot of geekspeak. A stick figure explained his plight: He needed at least $26,000 to beat incumbent Republican Arlen Siegfried. A bearded stick-figure political consultant asked the stick-figure Tevis if he knew 52 people who could each give him $500. Stick-figure Tevis didn't, but he wasn't giving up. He dreamed of 3,000 people each donating $8.34. Then Tevis proceeded to obliterate his fundraising goal, gathering almost $100,000 through PayPal donations. He became a political phenom. Candidates in and outside the state sought his advice. Who knew stick figures could be so influential?