Republican, Democrat parties lock in for upcoming historic Kansas election
TOPEKA (KSNT) - Kansas Secretary of State (SOS) Scott Schwab has announced the kickoff for the first statewide election in 2024.
Next year, Kansans will have the option to participate in the Presidential Preference Primary (PPP), a rarely seen election process in the Sunflower State. It has only been used twice before in the state's history in 1980 and 1992.
The Kansas Legislature had to pass a law during the 2023 session to enable this election for March, 2024. The PPP replaces caucuses that parties have conducted in the past to determine how delegates to the national conventions would be allocated.
On Dec. 1, the first significant deadline for the PPP arrived. This was the last day that political parties could opt out of participating in the PPP. Both the Republican and Democrat parties told the SOS they would participate in the PPP next year on March 19, 2024.
“Although Kansans are not used to voting in March for a Presidential Preference Primary, it is equally important to participate in this electoral process,” Schwab said. “I encourage voters to exercise their right and participate in this unique election, this will be the third state-run PPP in Kansas history.”
The PPP is described as a nontraditional election by the SOS. This is because the timelines and statutes for this election are different when compared to other primary elections or the general election. For example, there will be no three-day grace period for any mail-in ballots after election day. Other upcoming deadlines prior to the election include:
- Jan. 2 - Deadline for political parties to send the party rules for delegate allocation to the SOS.
- Jan. 16 - Deadline for political parties to let the SOS know who is eligible to vote in each party's PPP.
- Feb. 20 - Deadline to register to vote or update voter registration information to participate in the PPP. This is also the last day to apply for an advance voting mail ballot.
- Feb. 28 - First day of advance voting. Advance ballots by mail are transmitted. In-person advance voting can also start.
- March 18 - Last day for in-person advance voting.
- March 19 - PPP begins.
Currently, former President Donald J. Trump is the only candidate listed on the SOS's website as being registered for the PPP. His name first appeared on the candidate list back in September. You can learn more about the PPP by clicking here.
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