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Ballot access requirements for political parties in Kansas

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Note: This article is not intended to serve as a guide to running for public office. Individuals should contact theirstate election agencies for further information.

Although there are hundreds of political parties in the United States, only certain parties qualify to have the names of their candidates for office printed on election ballots. In order to qualify for ballot placement, a party must meet certain requirements that vary from state to state. For example, in some states, a party may have to file a petition in order to qualify for ballot placement. In other states, a party must organize around a candidate for a specific office; that candidate must, in turn, win a percentage of the vote in order for the party to be granted ballot status. In still other states, an aspiring political party must register a certain number of voters.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • As of May 2024, Kansas officially recognized five political parties: theDemocratic,Libertarian,No Labels,Republican, and United Kansas parties.
  • In some states, a candidate may choose to have a label other than that of an officially recognized party appear alongside his or her name on the ballot. Such labels are calledpolitical party designations. Kansas allows candidates to use political party designations.

    • To learn more about ballot access requirements for political candidates in Kansas,click here.

    DocumentIcon.jpgSeestate election laws

    Process for a political party to obtain ballot status

    Seal of Kansas

    DocumentIcon.jpgSee statutes:Kansas Statutes Section 25-302a

    A political organization seeking official recognition from the state as a political party must petition theKansas Secretary of State for such status. Petitions must be signed by qualified electors equal in number to at least 2% of the total votes cast for all candidates forgovernor at the last preceding general election and must be filed by noon on June 1 before the primary.[1]

    The petition must declare support for the official recognition of the political party named in the petition. A party seeking recognition cannot assume a name or designation that, in the opinion of the secretary of state, is "unreasonably lengthy or so similar to the name or designation of an existing political party as to confuse or mislead the voters at an election."[1]

    Ballot access

    Any party whose candidate for governor received at least 5% of the vote in the most recent gubernatorial election is required to nominate its candidates by primary. Other officially recognized political parties must nominate their candidates for office by state convention.[2]

    Parties that nominate their candidates via state convention are required by statute to submit a certified list of all nominees to the secretary of state by noon on June 1 of each election year (or the next business day, if June 1 falls on a weekend or holiday). These nominees are then placed on the general election ballot.[2]

    Maintaining party status

    In order to maintain recognized status, a political party must field a candidate for statewide office who wins at least 1% of the total number of votes cast for that office at the general election.[3]


    Political parties

    See also:List of political parties in the United States

    As of September 2024, there were five recognized political parties inKansas. These are listed in the table below.[4][5]

    PartyWebsite linkBy-laws/platform link
    Democratic Party of KansasLinkParty by-laws
    Libertarian Party of KansasLinkParty platform
    No Labels KansasLink
    Republican Party of KansasLinkParty platform
    United KansasLinkParty platform

    Historical events

    2015

    On February 10, 2015, RepresentativeSteven Johnson introducedHB 2274 in theKansas House of Representatives. If enacted, the legislation would have lowered the petition signature requirements for newly-qualifying political parties from 2 percent to 1 percent of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for governor in the most recent general election. In addition. the bill would have extended the qualifying period from six months to one year. The bill ultimately died in committee.[6][7]

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