Voting in Kansas
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The policies governing voter participation are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which people cast their ballots in their respective states.
This article includes the following information about voting policies in Kansas:
- Voter registration details, including deadlines and eligibility requirements.
- In-person voting details, including identification requirements, poll times, and early voting provisions.
- Absentee/mail-in voting deadlines and rules.
- Details about Voting rules for people convicted of a felony.
- Contact information election agencies.
- Summaries of noteworthy policy-related events.
See Election administration in Kansas for additional information about election administration in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, and post-election auditing practices.
Do you have questions about your elections? Looking for information about your local election official? Click here to use U.S. Vote Foundation’s election official lookup tool.
Voter registration
The table below displays voter registration information specific to Kansas' 2024 election cycle.
Eligibility and registration details
- Check your voter registration status here.
To vote in Kansas, one must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of Kansas. In order to register, an individual must be least 18 years old before the next election. Voters must register at least 21 days prior to Election Day. Registration can be done by completing and returning an application, either in person or by mail. Registration may also be completed online.[1]
In-person voting
The table below displays in-person voting information specific to Kansas' 2024 election cycle.
Poll times
- See also: State poll opening and closing times
Unless otherwise set by the county, polls in Kansas open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. Central time (6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Mountain time). Counties are given the discretion to open polls as early as 6 a.m. and close polls as late as 8 p.m. Central time (5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mountain time). Polls must be open for a minimum of 12 consecutive hours and may not close before 7 p.m. Central time (6 p.m. Mountain time).[2] According to the Associated Press, as of 2024, "the whole state closes at 7 p.m. local time."[3] An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[4]
Voter identification
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
Kansas requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[5]
Voters can present the following forms of identification:
- Driver's license or nondriver's identification card issued by Kansas or by another state or district of the United States
- Concealed carry of handgun license issued by Kansas or a concealed carry of handgun or weapon license issued by another state or district of the United States
- United States passport
- Employee badge or identification document issued by a municipal, county, state, or federal government office
- Military identification document issued by the United States
- Student identification card issued by an accredited postsecondary institution of education in the state of Kansas
- Public assistance identification card issued by a municipal, county, state, or federal government office
- Identification card issued by an Indian tribe
A photo ID does not need to have an expiration date, but, if it does have an expiration date, it must not have expired at the time of voting. If the voter is over the age of 65, he or she can use an expired ID.[5]
The following voters are exempt from providing photo ID:[5]
- Military and overseas citizens who vote under the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA)
- Voters who vote in mail ballot elections, which are limited to local jurisdictions holding special question-submitted elections
- Voters who are accepted to the permanent advance voting list
- Any voter who objects to having his or her photo taken because of his or her religious beliefs. The voter can complete and sign the Declaration of Religious Objection form.
Voters who do not have a photo ID can obtain one for free through the Division of Vehicles, Kansas Department of Revenue. The voter must provide proof of identity and proof of residence. The voter must also sign an affidavit. Voters can access the Certification Requesting Fee Waiver for Nondriver Identification Card form at all driver's license offices, county election offices, and on the secretary of state's website. If a voter does not have the proper documents to obtain a nondriver ID card, he or she can obtain a Kansas birth certificate from the Kansas Office of Vital Statistics for free. Voters can also apply for a free State Voter Identification Document. Voters should contact the election division of the secretary of state's office at [email protected] or (800) 262-VOTE to apply.[5]
Early voting
- See also: Early voting
Kansas permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.
Absentee/mail-in voting
- See also: Absentee/mail-in voting
The table below displays absentee voting information specific to Kansas' 2024 election cycle.
All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Kansas. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee. An absentee ballot application must be received by the Tuesday prior to the election. Kansas refers to absentee voting as "advance voting."[6]
Local election officials
Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool. |
Voting rules for people convicted of a felony
In Kansas, people convicted of a felony offense may not vote until they have completed their entire sentence, including parole or probation, at which time their voting rights are automatically restored. Residents of other states serving a sentence in Kansas dictated by a felony crime may, however, be able to use an absentee ballot to vote in their home state, depending on the state's laws. For more information on Kansas' rules for restoring voting rights to people convicted of a felony, click here.
Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[7]
Election administration agencies
Election agencies
- See also: State election agencies
Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Kansas can contact the following local, state, and federal agencies.
Kansas County Election Officers
Secretary of State Office, Elections Division
- Memorial Hall, 1st Floor
- 120 SW 10th Avenue
- Topeka, KS 66612-1594
- Phone: 785-296-4564
- Toll free: 1-800-262-8683
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.kssos.org/
Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission
- 901 S. Kansas Avenue
- Topeka, Kansas 66612
- Phone: 785-296-4219
- Fax: 785-296-2548
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://ethics.kansas.gov
U.S. Election Assistance Commission
- 633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
- Washington, DC 20001
- Phone: 301-563-3919
- Toll free: 1-866-747-1471
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.eac.gov
Noteworthy events
2021
Federal judge enjoins enforcement of law prohibiting out-of-state groups from sending absentee/mail-in ballot application forms to Kansas voters
On November 12, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit reversed a 2023 decision from the United States District Court for the District of Kansas that prohibited enforcement of part of an election bill that became law in 2021. In overturning the lower court's decision, the ruling allowed enforcement of a provision of HB 2332, which originally became law after a veto override in 2021, that prohibited third-parties from pre-filling by of personal information on advance voting ballot applications for other voters. To read more about that bill, see here.
In the ruling, Judge Harris Hartz wrote that, "VPC’s mailing of the prefilled mail-ballot applications constitutes speech entitled to First Amendment protection" but that "(b)ecause the Prohibition does not implicate VPC’s associational rights, we reverse the district court’s judgment in favor of VPC on its freedom-of-association claim and remand with instructions to enter judgment for Defendants on this claim."[8] The appellate court thereby remanded the case to the district court with instructions to evaluate the plaintiff's (VPC) freedom-of-speech claim under intermediate, instead of strict, scrutiny.
Previously, on May 4, 2023, Judge Kathryn Vratil, of the U.S. District Court for the District Court of Kansas, permanently enjoined enforcement of the provision. In the order, Judge Vratil wrote that the prohibition "restricts plaintiff’s core political speech and association and it cannot withstand strict scrutiny, it is an unconstitutional infringement on plaintiff’s First Amendment rights to speech and association" and that the portion of the law was " unconstitutionally overbroad" because it "criminalizes a substantial amount of protected speech."[9]
On November 19, 2021, Judge Vratil temporarily enjoined the prohibition, and another portion of HB 2332 that prohibited out-of-state groups from sending these application forms to Kansas voters. In that order, Vratil wrote, "Precedent dictates that the Court must treat alleged First Amendment harms 'gingerly.' Plaintiffs have sufficiently pled that unless enjoined, [the law in question] will limit Kansas voters in navigating the path to ballot access and interfere with plaintiffs' First Amendment rights. Such losses are ones that money damages cannot redress, so this factor weighs strongly in favor of an injunction." Vratil's order barred election officials from enforcing the disputed law pending full resolution of the case.[10]
To read more about the origins of this litigation, see here.
Lawmakers enact two bills making several changes to state election law
On May 3, 2021, the Kansas House of Representatives and the Kansas State Senate voted 85-38 and 28-12, respectively, to override Governor Laura Kelly's (D) vetoes of HB2813 and HB2332. As enacted, the bills made the following changes to the state's election laws:[11][12]
- HB2813
- Prohibited backdating or otherwise altering a postmark on an advance voting ballot "if the intent is to make the mailing date appear different from the actual date of mailing by the voter or voter's designee."
- Prohibited local election officials "from accepting an advance voting ballot transmitted by mail unless they first verify the signature on an advance voting ballot envelope matches the signature on file in the county voter registration records."
- Rescinded the authority of the secretary of state to extend the deadline for receiving advance voting ballots.
- Prohibited "any person from delivering an advance voting ballot on behalf of another person, unless the person submits an accompanying written statement at the time of delivery, signed by both the voter and the person delivering the ballot." Prohibited a candidate for office from delivering an advance voting ballot on behalf of another voter unless that voter is a member of the candidate's immediate family. Prohibited any individual from delivering more than 10 advance voting ballots on behalf of other voters.
- HB2332
- Required "any individual who solicits by mail a registered voter to file an application for an advance voting ballot, and in such mailing includes an application for an advance voting ballot, to include in such mailing:" the name and address of the individual or entity making the solicitation; the name of the president or chief executive officer of the entity, if applicable; and a statement in the following form: "Disclosure: This is not a government mailing. It is from a private individual or organization."
- Prohibited the pre-filling by third-parties of personal information on advance voting ballot applications.
- Prohibited "any person not a resident of Kansas or domiciled in Kansas from mailing or causing to be mailed an application for an advance voting ballot."
- Prohibited "the Governor, the Executive Branch, and the Judicial Branch from altering election laws."
Upon vetoing the two bills on April 23, 2021, Kelly said each was "designed to disenfranchise Kansans, making it difficult for them to participate in the democratic process, not to stop voter fraud." Rep. Blake Carpenter (R), who voted in favor of both bills, rejected this characterization: "The governor said that this is a problem in search of a solution, or that we don’t really need this legislation. However, I think that this legislation directly impacts what future elections could look like because of the issues we saw in those other elections and other states."[13][14]
HB2813 originally cleared both the Kansas House of Representatives and the Kansas State Senates by votes of 80-42 and 27-11, respectively. The House and Senate originally voted 83-38 and 27-11, respectively, to adopt HB2332.[11][12]
Multiple groups filed separate lawsuits (listed below) challenging various provisions of these bills:
- League of Women Voters of Kansas v. Schwab (filed June 1, 2021, in the Shawnee County District Court)
- VoteAmerica v. Schwab (filed June 2, 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas)
2018
On June 18, 2018, federal Judge Julie Robinson, of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, struck down a provision of the SAFE Act establishing that Kansans must present proof of citizenship in order to register to vote (documentary proof of citizenship, or DPOC, law). Robinson ordered Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R) to ensure that "all elections-related public education materials ... make clear that voter registration applicants need not provide DPOC in order to become registered to vote, and need not provide any additional information in order to complete their voter registration applications." Kobach's office initially advised county clerks to continue enforcing the DPOC law pending further written guidance, but advised county clerks on June 20, 2018, to comply with Robinson's order.[15][16]
Robinson's ruling came as the result of two separate lawsuits, which were consolidated for trial: Fish v. Kobach and Bednasek v. Kobach. Robinson wrote the following in her ruling:
| “ | [The] magnitude of the burden on unregistered eligible Kansas voters cannot be justified by the State interests relied on by the Defendant [i.e., Kris Kobach (R), in his capacity as secretary of state]. The evidence at trial demonstrated that those interests, while legitimate, are not furthered by the DPOC law. Instead, the DPOC law disproportionately impacts duly qualified registration applications, while only nominally preventing noncitizen voter registration. It also may have the inadvertent effect of eroding, instead of maintaining, confidence in the electoral system given the confusing, evolving, and inconsistent enforcement of the DPOC laws since 2013.[17] | ” |
| —Judge Julie Robinson | ||
Robinson also ordered Kobach to take six additional hours of continuing legal education courses pertaining to federal or state civil rules of procedure or evidence.[18]
Danedri Herbert, a spokeswoman for Kobach, criticized the decision: "Robinson is the first judge in the country to come to the extreme conclusion that requiring a voter to prove his citizenship is unconstitutional. Her conclusion is incorrect, and it is inconsistent with precedents of the U.S. Supreme Court."[19]
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
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The Ballot Bulletin
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See also
- 2024 election dates and deadlines
- Voter ID in Kansas
- Election administration in Kansas
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Kansas
Elections in Kansas
- Kansas elections, 2024
- Kansas elections, 2023
- Kansas elections, 2022
- Kansas elections, 2021
- Kansas elections, 2020
- Kansas elections, 2019
- Kansas elections, 2018
- Kansas elections, 2017
- Kansas elections, 2016
- Kansas elections, 2015
- Kansas elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Kansas Office of the Secretary of State, "Kansas Voter Registration Instructions," accessed July 25, 2024
- ↑ Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, "25-106. Hours of voting; change of hours, how made; rules and regulations," accessed November 4, 2024
- ↑ Associated Press, "2024 Poll Hours Report," updated September 4, 2024
- ↑ State of Kansas Secretary of State, “Frequently Asked Questions” accessed July 25, 2024
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Kansas Secretary of State, "Elections - FAQ," accessed July 25, 2024
- ↑ Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, “K.S.A. 25-1122” accessed July 25, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," June 6, 2024
- ↑ Justia U.S. Law, "VoteAmerica v. Schwab, No. 23-3100 (10th Cir. 2024)," November 12, 2024
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "VoteAmerica v. Schwab, No. 21-2253-KHV (U.S. District Court, District Court of Kansas," May 4, 2024
- ↑ United States District Court for the District of Kansas, "VoteAmerica v. Schwab: Memorandum and Order," November 19, 2021
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Kansas Legislature, "HB 2183," accessed May 9, 2021
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Kansas Legislature, "HB 2332," accessed May 9, 2021
- ↑ Office of the Governor of Kansas, "Governor Laura Kelly Vetoes Divisive Voter Suppression Bills, Keeps Kansas Welcoming and Open for Business," April 23, 2021
- ↑ Associated Press, "Kansas governor vetoes measures to tighten election laws," April 23, 2021
- ↑ United States District Court for the District of Kansas, "Fish v. Kobach and Bednasek v. Kobach: Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law," June 18, 2018
- ↑ The Topeka Capital-Journal, "Kobach's office tells counties to stop asking for proof of citizenship," June 20, 2018
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ United States District Court for the District of Kansas, "Fish v. Kobach and Bednasek v. Kobach: Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law," June 18, 2018
- ↑ The Topeka Capital-Journal, "Judge sides with ACLU in voter registration fight, orders Kobach to go to school," June 18, 2018
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