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Topeka Buzz: Wednesday, January 15
New election and retirement bills, Senate action on transparency and township bonds, and key legislative updates.
Jason Anderson
January 15, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes
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Daily Legislative Update 🐝
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Well, that didn’t take long! Plenty of interesting things to review from yesterday’s activities in Topeka including proposed election law modifications and the small matter of banning reporters from the floor of the House.
Below is today’s morning update on published activities in the Kansas Legislature.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Yesterday, the Legislature saw the introduction of several significant bills and resolutions, including measures addressing advance voting deadlines, election funding transparency, and a prohibition on ranked-choice voting. Both chambers also made progress on organizational and procedural fronts, preparing for the upcoming legislative workload.
Bills and Resolutions
New Bills Introduced
SB 4: Requires advance voting ballots to be returned by 7:00 p.m. on election day (currently, mail ballots must be postmarked by election day and received no later than 3 days after election day).
SB 5: Establishes the "Transparency in Revenues Underwriting Elections Act," prohibiting the use of federal funds for elections without legislative approval.
SB 6: Prohibits the use of ranked-choice voting methods in any federal, state, or local elections in Kansas.
SB 7: Adjusts township bonding authority, increasing limits based on population and extending terms for bond maturity.
SB 4: Advance Voting Deadline
Senate Bill 4 amends existing statutes to require all advance voting ballots to be returned by 7:00 PM on the day of the election. This legislative change aims to enhance the timeliness of election results by ensuring all ballots are accounted for promptly after polls close. By setting this specific deadline, election officials can streamline ballot processing and reduce delays during the counting phase.
The bill modifies the procedure for the acceptance of mailed advance ballots. Under the new provision, ballots must be in the hands of county election officers by the stipulated time, eliminating previous allowances for ballots postmarked by election day but received later. [link]
SB 5: Transparency in Election Funding
The Transparency in Revenues Underwriting Elections Act establishes strict requirements on the acceptance and usage of federal funds in Kansas elections. It proposes that such funds may only be utilized if explicitly approved by the state legislature, ensuring a controlled and transparent funding process for election-related activities. This bill also defines permissible funding sources and establishes violations as a felony.
As an example, voter registration programs funded or organized at the federal level would be prohibited from operating in Kansas without explicit approval from the state legislature. [link]
SB 6: Ranked-Choice Voting Ban
Senate Bill 6 prohibits the implementation of ranked-choice voting (RCV) in all Kansas elections. The legislation clearly defines RCV as a voting system in which voters rank candidates by preference, with multiple tabulation rounds eliminating the lowest-ranked candidates until one achieves a majority.
Additionally, the bill invalidates any prior ordinances or regulations permitting RCV, making such methods unlawful within the state. [link]
This legislation increases the bonding capacity of Kansas townships based on population thresholds, empowering local governments to finance larger infrastructure projects. The new provisions raise the percentage of assessed tangible valuation allowed for bond issuance, providing additional resources for community development.[link]