Key Points
- Kansas will hold a presidential preference primary on March 19, replacing the informal caucus format.
- Both Democrats and Republicans have 39 delegates to their respective national conventions.
- Voters must be registered with either the Democratic or Republican party to participate in the primary.
Kansas Democrats and Republicans wanting to weigh in on who they’d like to be their party’s candidate for president will be able to cast a vote for their favorite candidate during the Kansas presidential preference primary on March 19.
Kansas has typically allowed voters to show their preference for a presidential candidate through the informal caucus format. But the Kansas Legislature voted in 2023 to hold a primary instead. This is a change that applies only to this election, and the state could return to a caucus format for the 2028 election.
This primary is pretty much like a regular election, but the tallies are used by each political party to assign their delegates to their respective presidential conventions. Both Kansas Republicans and Democrats have 39 delegates to their national convention.
The Democratic National convention is Aug. 19-24 in Chicago. The Republican National Convention is July 15-18 in Milwaukee.
Who Can Vote?
The deadline to be registered to vote, which would allow you to participate in this election, has already passed. That deadline was Feb. 20. It was also the deadline for individuals to change their party affiliation ahead of the election.
To vote, individuals must be affiliated with either the Democratic or Republican party. Individuals who have not declared an affiliation with a party may do so at any point, up to and including on Election Day.
To check your party affiliation, go to myvoteinfo.voteks.org/voterview.
Who’s on the Ballot?
Both Democrats and Republicans may be surprised by who’s on the ballot. In addition to Joe Biden, there are three other candidates on the Democrats’ ballot: Marianne Williamson, Jason Michael Palmer and Dean Phillips.
On the Republican ballot, in addition to Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, the only two remaining candidates, the names of Ron DeSantis and Ryan L. Binkley will also appear.
Write-in votes are not allowed, but there is an option for “None of the names shown” on both the Democrat and Republican ballot, according to the Kansas Secretary of State’s office.
Candidates had to either pay a $10,000 filing fee or submit a petition with signatures of 5,000 registered Kansas voters from their political party.
How to Vote
- Advance Ballot
As we stated earlier, it’s too late to request an advance ballot, but that is an option for voting.
Advance ballots can be mailed or dropped off in secure ballot boxes, if your county has them, or at the County Election office. Ballots can also be dropped off at any polling place on Election Day.
All advance ballots must be received by the elections office no later than 7 p.m. Tue., March 19.
- Vote Early in Person
Each election officer has the authority to set voting hours, locations and dates for advance voting in their county. So there isn’t a standard we can share across the state, however, advance voting appears to begin as early as March 4 and typically ends at noon on the Monday before the election.
Check the election office for your county for exact advance voting days, times and locations.
- Vote on Election Day
Voting times also vary by county. Sedgwick County voting hours are 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. while Wyandotte County voting hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. So, again, check your election office.
Also check for your voting location. Many of the locations will change for this special election, with much fewer sites planned due to an expected lower turnout, particularly in the Democratic primary.
To find out where you are to vote for this election, visit myvoteinfo.voteks.org/voterview.
Voters will need a valid photo ID to cast their ballots in person.
Other 2024 Election Days
The primary election will be Tue., Aug. 6,
The general election will be Tue,, Nov. 5.
In addition to the president, all members of the Kansas House and half of the Kansas Senate will be up for election. Half of the state Board of Education members will be up for election and, depending on your county’s structure, a portion of your county commission seats as well as your county administrative position – clerk, treasurer, etc. – may be up for election, too.
