Elections in Kansas
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The number of elections in Kansas varies by year.
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
has a
gubernatorial election A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...
every four years. Members of the state's United States congressional
delegation Delegation is the process of distributing and entrusting work to another person.Schermerhorn, J., Davidson, P., Poole, D., Woods, P., Simon, A., & McBarron, E. (2017). ''Management'' (6th ed., pp. 282–286). Brisbane: John Wiley & Sons Australia. ...
run for election or re-election at the times set out in the
United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...
.
Primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...
s assist in choosing political parties' nominees for various positions. On a regional basis, elections also cover municipal issues. In addition, a
special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...
can occur at any time. In a 2020 study, Kansas was ranked as the 13th hardest state for citizens to vote in.


Voter qualifications

Subject to such exceptions as the
Kansas Legislature The Kansas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a bicameral assembly, composed of the lower Kansas House of Representatives, with 125 state representatives, and the upper Kansas Senate, with 40 state sen ...
may prescribe, all citizens of the United States, over the age of eighteen and who are residents of this state, may register to vote as a qualified elector of Kansas. A special provision allows seventeen-year-olds to register to vote if they will be eighteen before the next statewide general election. This does not allow them to vote in the primary or at any other election before attaining the age of eighteen.


Types of elections


General election

The
general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...
for all elected state, district and country officers is held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November every two years. Those offices whose term expires the year following the general election must face election in that general election. For the statewide elected executive offices (the
Governor of Kansas A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...
,
Attorney General of Kansas The attorney general of Kansas is a statewide elected official responsible for providing legal services to the state government of Kansas. Kris Kobach assumed the office on January 9, 2023. Divisions * Administration Division * Civil Division * ...
, etc.), they must face election in the general election held two years after the last election for
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
. The most recent gubernatorial election in Kansas was held in 2022. Candidates for
United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
and
United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
are elected in either the state general election as their term expires.


Primary election

A primary election must be held for a political party to nominate its candidates for the offices to the filled at the next general election. Such primaries are held on the first Tuesday in August of each year in which a general election is to be held. No candidate's name may be printed on the general election ballot unless such candidate has been nominated by his political party by a primary election. However, nonpartisan candidates need not seek primary election nominations in order to appear on the general election ballot. Kansas operates a
closed primary Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pri ...
system in which only voters who have affiliated with the given political party may vote in that party’s primary and runoff primary elections. However, the chairman of each political party may allow registered Independents to vote in the given political party. However, under no circumstance may an Independent vote in more than one political party’s primary elections. Registered voters not affiliated with either party 21 days before the election may choose to affiliate with a party on election day at the polling place.


Election provisions


Substitute candidates

In the event of the death of a political party's nominee for office prior to the date of the general election, a substitute candidate is permitted to have his name placed on the general election ballot. If the nominee was a candidate for a state office, the state central committee of the party affected must the Secretary of the State Election Board of the name of an alternative candidate to be placed on the general election ballot. Such notice must be submitted in writing within five days after the death has occurred and must be signed by at least two members of the political party's state central committee. If the death of the political party’s nominee should occur five days or more following the Runoff Primary Election date, a special general election shall be called by the
Governor of Kansas A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...
. For such special general election, the candidates for office are the substitute candidate named by the central committee, the nominee of other political parties nominated for office, and any previously filed independent candidates.


Political parties

*
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...
of Kansas * Kansas Constitution Party *
Kansas Democratic Party The Kansas Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Kansas and one of two major parties in the state, alongside the Republicans. The chair of the party is Jeanna Repass. The party currently controls the state's ...
*
Kansas Republican Party The Kansas Republican Party is the state affiliate political party in Kansas of the United States Republican Party. The Kansas Republican Party was organized in May 1859. At the state level, the party is largely split between its moderate and co ...
*
Libertarian Party of Kansas The Libertarian Party of Kansas (LPKS) is the Kansas affiliate of the Libertarian Party. The LPKS earned full ballot access in 1992 as a minor party, with Libertarian candidates appearing on every statewide general election ballot since then. ...
*
Natural Law Party The Natural Law Party (NLP) is a transnational party founded in 1992 on "the principles of Transcendental Meditation", the laws of nature, and their application to all levels of government. At its peak, it was active in up to 74 countries; it co ...
of Kansas * Reform Party of Kansas


See also

*
2024 Kansas elections Kansas state elections in 2024 were held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Partisan primary, Primary elections for the United States House of Representatives, Kansas Senate, and Kansas House of Representatives were held on August 6, 2024. Pre ...
*
United States presidential elections in Kansas Following is a table of United States presidential elections in Kansas, ordered by year. Since its admission to statehood in 1861, Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of ...


References


External links


Elections & Legislative
at the Kansas Secretary of State official website
Kansas Election Statistics, 1899-2010
at the State Library of Kansas' KGI Online Library website * * * * (State affiliate of the U.S.
League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include Voter registration, registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and adv ...
) * {{Kansas Government of Kansas Political events in Kansas