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HB 2494KANSASSession 2025-2026State Billdead
Did Not Advance

Kansas Bill Permits Nonpartisan Candidates to List Political Party Affiliation on Ballots

Original title: AN ACT concerning elections; relating to candidate names on ballots; allowing a candidate for a nonpartisan office to have such candidate's political party affiliation added on the ballot with such candidate's name; amending K.S.A. 25-613 and repealing the existing section.

Last action · April 10, 2026: Died in Committee

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Proposed

Nonpartisan candidates in Kansas may choose to display their political party affiliation next to their name on the ballot under a proposed measure that also nullifies any conflicting local rules adopted on or before July 1, 2026.

Why it matters

Local candidates running for s gain the option to publicly declare a political affiliation to voters on official election ballots, altering how candidate information is presented in local races.

Background
  • K.S.A. 25-613 governs how candidate names and designations are printed on official Kansas election ballots. context
  • The bill was introduced by the House Committee on Elections during the 2025-2026 legislative session and ultimately died in committee. 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.

Directly affected

nonpartisan candidates

Candidates running for nonpartisan local offices gain the option to display their political party affiliation on the official ballot.

Directly affected

local political subdivisions

Cities, counties, townships, and school districts must invalidate any local rules or ordinances that conflict with allowing party affiliations for nonpartisan candidates.

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

Can nonpartisan candidates be forced to display a party affiliation?
No, the legislation states that a candidate for any office other than a national, state, county, or township office may elect to have their political party or political affiliation added to their name.
What happens to local rules that ban party labels in nonpartisan races?
Any ordinance, resolution, or regulation adopted by a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision that is in direct conflict with this provision on or before July 1, 2026, becomes null and void.

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died in committee.

Procedural history

3 actions
  1. Apr 10, 2026House
    Died in Committee
  2. Jan 21, 2026HouseIntroduced
    Introduced
  3. Jan 21, 2026HouseCommittee
    Referred 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

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Overriding Local Nonpartisan Rules

The bill includes an explicit preemption clause rendering conflicting local ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 2026, null and void.

Connected Entities

House Committee on Elections, Kansas register
OrganizationHouse Committee on Elections“Legislative committee sponsoring the bill”Map →
otherKansas register“Official publication where the act takes effect”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.kslegislature.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance20
    Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 45)
  • Controversy60
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz25
    Current news / social attention level

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