Kansas Secretary of State
| Kansas Secretary of State | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $86,003 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $7,076,569 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Kansas Constitution, Article I § 1 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 3, 2026 |
| Last election: | November 8, 2022 |
| Other Kansas Executive Offices | |
| Governor •Lieutenant Governor •Secretary of State •Attorney General •Treasurer •Commissioner of Education •Agriculture Secretary •Insurance Commissioner •Wildlife and Parks Secretary •Labor Secretary •Corporation Commission | |
TheSecretary of State of Kansas is a statewide constitutional office inKansas. The secretary of state is publicly elected every four years. The office is responsible for overseeing the administration of all state and federal elections in the state.
Kansas has a divided government where neither party holds atriplex. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor, while the Republican Party controls the offices of attorney general and secretary of state.
Current officeholder
The current Kansas Secretary of State isScott Schwab (R). Schwab assumed office in 2019.
Authority
The secretary of state's powers are derived from Article 1 of the Kansas Constitution.
Article 1, Section 1:
| The constitutional officers of the executive department shall be the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general, who shall have such qualifications as are provided by law. |
Qualifications
There are no constitutional or statutory qualifications for this office.[1]
Elections
The secretary of state is elected to serve for a term of four years of length, which runs concurrently with the term of thegovernor. The election is held in November and the official takes office the following January.
Term limits
As stated in theKansas Constitution, there is noterm limit for this office.
2022
General election
General election for Kansas Secretary of State
IncumbentScott Schwab defeatedJeanna Repass andCullene Lang in the general election for Kansas Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Scott Schwab (R) | 58.4 | 580,908 |
 | Jeanna Repass (D)  | 38.8 | 386,661 | |
| Cullene Lang (L) | 2.8 | 27,844 | ||
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 995,413 | ||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Kansas Secretary of State
Jeanna Repass advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas Secretary of State on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jeanna Repass | 100.0 | 246,870 |
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 246,870 | ||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Kansas Secretary of State
IncumbentScott Schwab defeatedMike Brown in the Republican primary for Kansas Secretary of State on August 2, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Scott Schwab | 55.2 | 245,998 |
 | Mike Brown | 44.8 | 199,316 | |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 445,314 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for Kansas Secretary of State
Cullene Lang advanced from the Libertarian convention for Kansas Secretary of State on April 23, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Cullene Lang (L) | |
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | |||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
Past elections
Vacancies
Article 1, Section 11 addresses the legal procedure for filling vacancies in executive offices.
| When the office of secretary of state or attorney general is vacant, the governor shall fill the vacancy by appointment for the remainder of the term. If the secretary of state or attorney general is disabled, the governor shall name a person to assume the powers and duties of the office until the disability is removed. |
Duties
As of January 18, 2021, the duties of the office stated on the official website included:[3]
| “ | [A]dministering elections, collecting certain records of Kansas businesses and publishing the official publications for the State of Kansas. As a result, hundreds of thousands of documents are kept by the Secretary of State. Generally, they fall into four categories – executive, legislative, elections and business.[4] | ” |
Divisions
Note:Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Kansas Secretary of State has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, pleaseemail us.
State budget
- See also:Kansas state budget and finances
The Office of the Secretary of State's budget for fiscal year 2025 was $7,076,569.[5]
Compensation
The salary of the secretary of state, along with other Kansas elected executives, is determined by theKansas State Legislature.Article I, Section 13 requires state executive salaries to be legally fixed and not reduced during the current term, unless such a reduction applies to all salaried state officers.[6] However, underArticle XV, Section 7 the legislature may reduce the salary of an elected officer for gross neglect of duty.[7]
Kansas Constitution, Article I, Section 13
| Compensation of officers. The officers mentioned in this article shall at stated times receive for their services a such compensation as is established by law, which shall not be diminished during their terms of office, unless by general law applicable to all salaried officers of the state. Any person exercising the powers and duties of an office mentioned in this article shall receive the compensation established by law for that office. |
Kansas Constitution, Article XV, Section 7
| Salaries reduced for neglect of duty. The legislature may reduce the salaries of officers, who shall neglect the performance of any legal duty. |
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $86,003, according to theCouncil of State Governments.[8]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $86,003, according to theCouncil of State Governments.[9]
2021
In 2021, the secretary of state received a salary of $86,003, according to theCouncil of State Governments.[10]
2020
In 2020, the secretary of state received a salary of $86,003 according to theCouncil of State Governments.[11]
2019
In 2019, the secretary of state received a salary of $86,003 according to theCouncil of State Governments.[12]
2018
In 2018, the secretary of state received a salary of $86,003 according to theCouncil of State Governments.[13]
2017
In 2017, the secretary of state received a salary of $86,003 according to theCouncil of State Governments.[14]
2016
In 2016, the secretary of state received a salary of $86,003 according to theCouncil of State Governments.[15]
2015
In 2015, the secretary of state received a salary of $86,003 according to theCouncil of State Governments.[16]
2014
In 2014, the secretary received a salary of$86,003 according to theCouncil of State Governments.[17]
2013
In 2013, the secretary received a salary of$86,003 according to theCouncil of State Governments.[18]
2012
In 2012, the secretary received a salary of$86,003 according to theCouncil of State Governments.
2011
In 2011, the secretary received a salary of$86,003 according to theCouncil of State Governments.[19]
Historical officeholders
There have been 5 Kansas Territory Secretaries and 32 Kansas Secretaries of State since 1854. Of the 37 officeholders, 28 were Republican, 7 were Democrat, and 2 were Populists.[20]
| List of officeholders from 1854-Present | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Tenure | Party | ||
| 1 | Daniel Woodson | 1854-1857 |  Democratic | ||
| 2 | Frederick P. Stanton | 1857 | Democratic | ||
| 3 | James W. Denver | 1857-1858 | Democratic | ||
| 4 | Hugh Sleight Walsh | 1858-1860 | Democratic | ||
| 5 | George M. Beebe | 1860-1861 | Democratic | ||
| 6 | John Winter Robinson | 1861-1862 |  Republican | ||
| 7 | Sanders Rufus Shepherd | 1862-1863 | Republican | ||
| 8 | Warren W.H. Lawrence | 1863-1865 | Republican | ||
| 9 | Rinaldo Allen Barker | 1865-1869 | Republican | ||
| 10 | Thomas Moonlight | 1869-1871 | Republican | ||
| 11 | William Hillary Smallwood | 1871-1875 | Republican | ||
| 12 | Thomas Horne Cavanaugh | 1875-1879 | Republican | ||
| 13 | James Smith | 1879-1885 | Republican | ||
| 14 | Edwin Bird Allen | 1885-1889 | Republican | ||
| 15 | William Higgins | 1889-1893 | Republican | ||
| 16 | Russell Scott Osborn | 1893-1895 | Populist | ||
| 17 | William Corydon Edwards | 1895-1897 | Republican | ||
| 18 | William Eben Bush | 1897-1899 | Populist | ||
| 19 | George Alfred Clark | 1899-1903 | Republican | ||
| 20 | Joel Randall Burrow | 1903-1907 | Republican | ||
| 21 | Charles Eugene Denton | 1907-1911 | Republican | ||
| 22 | Charles Harrison Sessions | 1911-1915 | Republican | ||
| 23 | John Thomas Botkin | 1915-1919 | Republican | ||
| 24 | Lewis Julian Pettijohn | 1919-1922 | Republican | ||
| 25 | David Owen McCray | 1922-1923 | Republican | ||
| 26 | Frank Joseph Ryan | 1923-1929 | Republican | ||
| 27 | Edgbert Albert Cornell | 1929-1933 | Republican | ||
| 28 | Frank Joseph Ryan | 1933-1949 | Republican | ||
| 29 | Larry Ryan | 1949-1951 | Democratic | ||
| 30 | Paul R. Shanahan | 1951-1966 | Republican | ||
| 31 | Elwill M. Shanahan | 1966-1978 | Republican | ||
| 32 | Jack Brier | 1978-1987 | Republican | ||
| 33 | William Preston Graves | 1987-1995 | Republican | ||
| 34 | Ron Thornburgh | 1995-2010 | Republican | ||
| 35 | Chris Biggs | 2010-2011 | Democratic | ||
| 36 | Kris Kobach | 2011-2019 | Republican | ||
| 36 | Scott Schwab | 2019-present | Republican | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the termsKansas Secretary of State. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact information
Capitol Address:
Kansas Secretary of State
Memorial Hall, 1st Floor
120 SW 10th Avenue
Topeka, KS 66612-1594
Phone: (785) 296-4564
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑Kansas Secretary of State, "Kansas Election Standards (Chapter IV: Candidates, p. IV-11)," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Kansas Secretary of State, ""2010 General Election Results,"" accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Kansas Secretary of State, "About the Office," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑Kansas Division of the Budget, "2025 comparison report," accessed January 17, 2025
- ↑ Kansas Constitution, "Article I Executive; Compensation of Officers," accessed February 18, 2015
- ↑Kansas Constitution, “Article XV Miscellaneous; Salaries reduced for neglect of duty,” accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed November 14, 2014
- ↑The Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2013, Table 4.11," accessed February 2, 2014
- ↑The Council of State Governments, "Book of States 2011- Table 4.11," accessed February 2, 2012(dead link)
- ↑Kansas Historical Society, "Kansas Secretaries of State," accessed January 18, 2021
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