The short version.
Kansas elects county government on two calendars that do not share a year. County Commissioners serve 4-year terms, staggered so that no more than a simple majority of the board is elected at any one general election (K.S.A. 19-202) -- which districts come up is set locally, county by county. County Clerk, County Treasurer, Sheriff, County Attorney and Register of Deeds are also 4-year terms, but they run together on the presidential-year cycle (K.S.A. 19-301, 19-501, 19-701, 19-1201) -- last elected in 2024, not up again until 2028. Filing for this year's ballot already closed at noon on June 1, 2026, and the August 4, 2026 primary already happened; only the November 3, 2026 general election is still ahead.
Kansas gives every county-office candidate two ways onto the ballot (K.S.A. 25-205, 25-206): pay a filing fee -- 1% of one year's salary for offices paying more than $1,000 a year, or a flat $5 for offices paying $1,000 or less -- or file a nomination petition instead, signed by registered voters of your party equal to at least 3% of that party's current registration in your county.
This page covers that for Riley County and points you at your local election office for anything specific to your county. It is not legal advice; the official rules live with your election office and the Kansas Secretary of State.
Riley County by the numbers.
- In 2024, Riley County cast 24,313 votes for president: 47.8% Republican, 49.6% Democratic.
The campaigns that win the field are the ones who start building their list of supporters and volunteers before qualifying even opens, not after. Motion51 is ready to load your Riley County voter file the moment you send it over, so you can start finding your people now.
Kansas election calendar (2026).
Kansas runs two different clocks for county government, and both are past this year's filing window.
- Mon Jun 1, 2026, 12:00 PMFiling deadline for the 2026 primary already passed (K.S.A. 25-205(a)) -- the last day to file a nomination petition or pay the declaration-of-candidacy fee for county offices on this year's ballot.
- Tue Aug 4, 20262026 primary election already happened.
- Tue Nov 3, 2026General election. Kansas' staggered County Commissioner seats up this cycle are decided here; County Clerk, Treasurer, Sheriff, County Attorney and Register of Deeds are not on this year's ballot at all (K.S.A. 19-301, 19-501, 19-701, 19-1201) -- those seats run on the presidential-year cycle and were last elected in 2024.
- Mon Jun 1, 2028, 12:00 PMNext filing deadline: the 2028 cycle elects County Clerk, County Treasurer, Sheriff, County Attorney and Register of Deeds together, plus whichever County Commissioner seats come up next in your county's own staggered rotation (K.S.A. 25-205(a)).
- Tue Aug 1, 20282028 primary election (first Tuesday in August, K.S.A. 25-205(b)).
- Tue Nov 7, 20282028 general election.
Which County Commissioner districts are up in any given year is set locally, county by county, so no single date works for all 105 -- ask your county election officer which of your county's districts is next on the ballot. Kansas' filing deadline is noon; if June 1 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, the statute moves the deadline to noon the next business day (K.S.A. 25-205(a)).
Offices on the ballot in Riley County.
These are the Kansas county offices, and the two calendars they run on (K.S.A. 19-202, 19-301, 19-501, 19-701, 19-1201, 25-205):
- County Commissioner — 4-year term, partisan, staggered so no more than a simple majority of the board is elected at any one general election (K.S.A. 19-202)
- County Clerk — 4-year term, partisan, elected with the other county row offices on the presidential-year cycle (K.S.A. 19-301); in Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Wyandotte counties, elections are instead run by an Election Commissioner appointed by the Secretary of State, not the elected Clerk
- County Treasurer — 4-year term, partisan, same presidential-year cycle as County Clerk (K.S.A. 19-501)
- Sheriff — 4-year term, partisan, same cycle
- County Attorney — 4-year term, partisan, same cycle (K.S.A. 19-701)
- Register of Deeds — 4-year term, partisan, same cycle (K.S.A. 19-1201)
In Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Wyandotte counties -- Kansas' four largest -- the Secretary of State appoints an Election Commissioner to run elections and take candidate filings in place of an elected County Clerk; those four counties still separately elect a County Clerk, but that office does not handle elections there. Your county election officer can confirm exactly which seats, including which Commissioner district, are on your county's next ballot.
How to get on the ballot.
Every Kansas county office is filed the same way, wherever you live in the state (K.S.A. ch. 25, art. 2).
Pay a fee, or file a nomination petition instead.
Kansas gives every county-office candidate two ways onto the ballot (K.S.A. 25-205, 25-206). The first is a Declaration of Intention to become a candidate, filed with your county election officer along with a fee: 1% of one year's salary for county offices paying more than $1,000 a year -- an amount your county election officer calculates, since county salaries are set locally and vary county to county -- or a flat $5 for county offices paying $1,000 or less. The second is a nomination petition instead of the fee: signatures from registered voters of your party equal to at least 3% of that party's current registration in your county, certified by the county election officer.
- Declaration of Intention + fee: 1% of one year's salary (offices over $1,000/year) or a flat $5 (offices at or under $1,000/year) — K.S.A. 25-206(a).
- Nomination petition (no fee): signed by county voters of your own party equal to at least 3% of that party's current registration in the county — K.S.A. 25-205(e)(3).
- Both routes are due by the same deadline: 12:00 p.m. (noon) on June 1 before the primary, or the next business day if June 1 falls on a weekend or holiday — K.S.A. 25-205(a).
- File with your county election officer — the County Clerk in 101 counties, or the Secretary-of-State-appointed Election Commissioner in Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Wyandotte — not with the Secretary of State's office in Topeka.
Kansas' primary election is always the first Tuesday in August; the general election is always the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Statutory references: K.S.A. 19-202 (county commissioners; staggered terms) · K.S.A. 19-301 (county clerk; election, term) · K.S.A. 19-501 (county treasurer; election, term) · K.S.A. 19-701 (county attorney; election, term) · K.S.A. 19-1201 (register of deeds; election, term) · K.S.A. 25-205 (nomination petitions and declarations of candidacy; filing deadline) · K.S.A. 25-206 (fees of candidates filing a declaration of candidacy) · K.S.A. 25-2101 et seq. (county election officers; Election Commissioners in the four largest counties) · K.S.A. 25-2320a (voter registration lists; commercial-use ban does not cover political campaign or election use). Fees and signature counts change; confirm before you file.
The Riley County Clerk.
Your county election officer is the filing officer for every county office in Kansas -- the County Clerk in 101 counties, or the Election Commissioner appointed by the Secretary of State in Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Wyandotte -- and the office that can tell you exactly which seats, including which Commissioner district, are on your county's next ballot.
- Office
- 110 Courthouse Plaza, Manhattan, KS 66502
- Phone
- (785) 565-6200
Contact details verified 2026-08-13. Official statewide sources: Kansas Secretary of State: Candidate Information · Kansas Secretary of State: County Election Offices.
Common questions.
When is the next election in Riley County?
It depends which office. County Commissioner seats are staggered locally and some are on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot; the Riley County election officer can tell you which districts. County Clerk, Treasurer, Sheriff, County Attorney and Register of Deeds run together on the presidential-year cycle -- last elected in 2024, next up in 2028.
Can I still file to run for office in Riley County right now?
Not for 2026. The filing deadline for this year's ballot was noon on June 1, 2026 (K.S.A. 25-205), and the August 4, 2026 primary has already happened. The next filing window opens for the 2028 cycle, with the same noon-on-June-1 deadline.
Does it cost money to run for office in Kansas?
Not necessarily. Kansas lets you pay a filing fee -- 1% of one year's salary for county offices paying over $1,000 a year, or a flat $5 for offices paying $1,000 or less (K.S.A. 25-206) -- or skip the fee entirely and file a nomination petition instead, signed by registered voters of your party equal to at least 3% of that party's current registration in Riley County (K.S.A. 25-205(e)(3)).
Where do I file to run for county office in Riley County?
With your county election officer, whose address and phone number are on this page -- the Riley County Clerk in most counties, or the Secretary-of-State-appointed Election Commissioner in Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Wyandotte counties. Either way, you file locally, not with the Secretary of State's office in Topeka.
How many registered voters are in Riley County?
The Kansas Secretary of State publishes statewide and county voter-registration figures. Motion51 does not hold the Kansas voter file, so rather than republish a number that may be out of date we point you at the Secretary of State's own figures and at the Riley County election officer.
What offices does Riley County actually elect?
Every Kansas county elects a Board of County Commissioners (4-year terms, staggered), plus a County Clerk, County Treasurer, Sheriff, County Attorney and Register of Deeds (also 4-year terms, elected together on the presidential-year cycle). The Riley County election officer can tell you exactly which seats are contested on your county's next ballot.
After you qualify: the field operation.
Kansas' ballot access is cheap almost everywhere -- a $5 fee is the norm for most county row offices outside the largest counties -- and a nomination petition works even where it isn't, so the barrier to running is rarely the paperwork. What decides these races is turnout in a county small enough that a real door-knocking operation, not a mail piece, changes the outcome.
That is the part Motion51 was built for. You scope your district, cut turf, and send volunteers out with a phone instead of a clipboard. It works offline, so canvassing does not stop where the cell signal does, and every door is logged with a timestamp for your records. Our For Candidates page walks through what that looks like.
Counties next to Riley.
Running in a district that crosses a county line? Each of these has its own guide.