Guide to voting in Kansas - Step One

Are you eligible to vote?

In order to vote in Kansas, you must meet the constitutional qualifications of a voter and be registered to vote.

a. Qualifications

To complete a voter registration application and vote in Kansas, you must meet the following constitutional qualifications:

1. be 18 years of age or older;
2. be a U.S. citizen; and
3. be a resident of Kansas.

There is no length of residency requirement in Kansas, but a person must be registered 15 days before the election and must be a resident at the time of registration.

According to state law, you must meet voter registration requirements before voting. You may file a voter registration application with your county election office if you meet the qualifications of a voter.

If you are 17 years old but will be 18 before the next election, you may register to vote. This does not allow you to vote in the primary or at any other election before turning 18.

b. Disqualifications

You are disqualified from voting by reason of death, federal or state felony conviction, or declaration by a Kansas court of law.

If you move out of the state, your name is removed from the voter list in the county of your most recent registration. If you move from one county to another within the state, your name is removed from the voter list in the county of former residence and added to the voter list in the county of new residence, either by re-registering in the new county or by completing a driver's license change of address form. You may at any time file a written request with the county election officer to have your name removed from the voter list.

Felony convictions

Conviction of either a state or a federal felony results in the loss of voting rights until you complete the terms of the sentence. If you are granted probation or parole, your term of sentence is not completed until the probation or parole is finished. The law prohibits a person who has been convicted of a felony from all of the following: registering to vote, voting, holding public office, or serving on a jury.

1. Federal convictions: the National Voter Registration Act directs the U.S. Attorney in each federal judicial district to notify the Secretary of State's office of federal felony convictions. The Secretary of State's office forwards the notice to the appropriate county election officer for cancellation of the felon's voter registration.
   
   
2. State convictions: the county election officer is required to cancel the voter registration of all persons convicted of a state felony, but there is no consistent, statewide system for notification of convictions. In early 2002, the Kansas Sentencing Commission agreed to work with the Secretary of State's office to create a notification system similar to the federal system. The system is currently under construction and will be available in 2005.

Note:

A felon who loses voting rights may re-register to vote after their sentence is completed. The county election officer does not automatically restore the person's name to the registration list. When registering to vote, the felon is not required to submit proof of final discharge. The voter registration application form contains an affidavit above the signature line attesting that the person's rights have been restored. Signing a false affidavit is a felony, which could result in loss of voting rights upon conviction.

 

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