The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Kansas bill restricts mail-in voting if signature rules are invalidated and requires election lawsuits in Shawnee County
Last action · April 10, 2026: Died on House Calendar
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Proposed
Kansas legislation requires the secretary of state to restrict mail-in advance voting if courts invalidate rules, and mandates that all statewide election law challenges be filed exclusively in Shawnee County District Court.
Voters face potential limits on mail-in voting if current signature rules are struck down by courts, and legal challengers must file statewide election lawsuits in a single specific county court.
- Advance voting in Kansas allows eligible registered voters to cast ballots prior to election day either by mail or in person. context
- Signature verification requirements for mail-in ballots have been a subject of ongoing legal scrutiny and litigation across multiple states. 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.
Registered voters in Kansas
Voters face potential limitations on eligibility for mail-in advance voting if court orders invalidate signature verification rules.
Secretary of State
The secretary is required to monitor court litigation, publish notices in the Kansas register, and prescribe ballot envelope forms and instructions.
District court of Shawnee county
The court is designated as the mandatory exclusive venue for all statewide constitutional challenges to election laws.
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 triggers the restriction on mail-in advance voting?
Where must lawsuits challenging state election laws be filed?
Who is permitted to vote by advance ballot if mail-in voting is restricted?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died in committee.
Procedural history
14 actions- Apr 10, 2026HouseDied on House Calendar
- Mar 18, 2026HouseFloorCommittee Report recommending substitute bill be passed by
- Mar 10, 2026HouseIntroducedReceived and Introduced
- Mar 10, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to House Committee on Elections
- Mar 10, 2026HouseHearing: Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 3:30 PM — Room 218-N
- Mar 5, 2026SenateCommittee of the Whole - Now working on
Show 8 earlier actions
- Mar 5, 2026SenateFloorCommittee of the Whole - Committee Report be adopted
- Mar 5, 2026SenateFloorCommittee of the Whole - Be passed as amended
- Mar 5, 2026Senatefa_fabc_912
- Mar 5, 2026SenateFloorEmergency Final Action - Passed as amended
- Feb 12, 2026SenateFloorCommittee Report recommending bill be passed as amended by
- Feb 2, 2026SenateHearing: Monday, February 2, 2026, 10:30 AM — Room 144-S
- Jan 28, 2026SenateCommitteeReferred to Senate Committee on Federal and State Affairs
- Jan 27, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced
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.
Conditional Voting Restriction Mechanism
The bill creates a conditional legal trigger linking executive and judicial actions directly to statutory changes in voter eligibility without requiring a new legislative vote.
Centralization of Election Litigation
By mandating that all statewide constitutional challenges to election laws be filed in Shawnee County, the bill consolidates all such challenges into a single local judicial district.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.kslegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 80)
- Controversy85Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools