The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Kansas HB 2492 requires special elections for unfilled municipal governing body vacancies
Last action · April 10, 2026: Died in Committee
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What This Bill Proposed
This bill requires municipal governing bodies in Kansas to hold a special election if a vacant seat on the council or commission remains unfilled after 60 days. The county election officer must call the election to be held within 45 days of the resolution.
Residents in Kansas cities and consolidated cities and counties gain a direct ballot mechanism to fill prolonged local government vacancies if municipal leaders fail to appoint a successor within two months.
- Municipal vacancies in Kansas are generally filled by local governing body appointments, which can occasionally lead to prolonged stalemates. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Municipalities
Municipalities must follow new statutory timelines and pass resolutions for special elections if local vacancies remain unfilled after 60 days.
County election officers
County election officers are required to conduct special elections for municipal vacancies when local bodies fail to make appointments within the 60-day window.
Municipal residents
Residents gain a guaranteed special election mechanism to choose representatives if local governing bodies leave seats vacant past 60 days.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a city council fails to fill an open seat within 60 days?
Are all municipalities subject to this special election rule?
Who conducts the special election?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died in committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Apr 10, 2026HouseDied in Committee
- Jan 21, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced
- Jan 21, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to House Committee on Elections
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Municipal Elections
The bill shifts authority from purely internal municipal appointments to mandatory special elections if local bodies fail to act within 60 days.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.kslegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 45)
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz10Current news / social attention level
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