The number of elections in Kansas varies by year. Kansas has a gubernatorial election every four years. Members of the state's United States congressional

delegation Delegation is the assignment of authority to another person (normally from a manager to a subordinate) to carry out specific activities. It is the process of distributing and entrusting work to another person,Schermerhorn, J., Davidson, P., Poole ...

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 It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

Primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

s assist in choosing political parties' nominees for various positions. On a regional basis, elections also cover municipal issues. In addition, a special election 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 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 a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

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, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

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 Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city i ...

, etc.), they must face election in the general election held two years after the last election for President of the United States. The most recent gubernatorial election in Kansas was held in 2018. Candidates for United States Senator and United States Representative 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 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

. 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 social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

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 Vicki Hiatt. The party currently controls the state's gove ...

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 con ...

Libertarian Party of Kansas The Libertarian Party of Kansas (LPKS) is the Kansas affiliate of the Libertarian Party. Since 2007 the Libertarian Party of Kansas has been the fastest growing political party in the state of Kansas. The LPKS earned full ballot access in 1992 a ...

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 con ...

of Kansas * Reform Party of Kansas

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 or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

) * {{Kansas Government of Kansas Political events in Kansas