The short version
Kansas nominates through party primaries in August. You get on the ballot either by filing a declaration of intent with a filing fee or by filing a petition with the required signatures. Independents don't run in the primary and qualify only by petition.
- Offices you can run for
- Federal (U.S. House and Senate); statewide offices (Governor and other state officials); the Kansas Senate and House; county and township offices; and judicial seats.
- How to get on the ballot
- File with the Secretary of State (national, state, legislative, and judicial offices) by submitting either a declaration of intent plus the filing fee or a petition with the required signatures — you aren't officially filed until the paperwork and fee are received. A $20 administrative fee applies to state and national offices. Independents must file by petition (a U.S. Senate independent needs 5,000 signatures).
- Who runs candidate filing
- Kansas Secretary of State — Elections Division
This is a plain-language overview, not legal advice. Filing deadlines and fees change every election cycle and vary by office; the official Kansas resources below are the final word. When in doubt, the elections authority is right and we're wrong.
Find your Kansas county
Every county runs its own filing office and its own local races. See all 105 Kansas counties, each with its election office, fees, deadlines and local facts.
The 2027 ballot in Kansas.
These 2027 dates are confirmed against the state's own published calendar or statute. Anything our research could not confirm is left off this page rather than estimated.
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August 3, 2027
Primary — City and school.
City and school primary, held only where more than three candidates file for one seat (or more than twice the number of seats in an at-large race). Most Kansas cities and school districts go straight to November.
Candidate filing: closes Jun 1, 2027 (noon).
Source -
November 2, 2027
General — City and school.
City and school elections: mayors and city councils or commissions, school board members, community college trustees, and other local boards.
Candidate filing: closes Jun 1, 2027 (noon).
Source 1 · Source 2
2027 dates can move, and a municipality can change its own election date by ordinance. Which seats are on a given ballot depends on when each was last filled. Confirm anything you are relying on with the county election office before you act on it.
Official Kansas candidate resources
Start here for the exact deadlines, fees, forms, and signature counts for your office and cycle. Note: 2026 filing has closed in most states, so these resources govern the standing rules; check the official calendar for your next filing window.
Once you're on the ballot, Motion51 runs your field game.
Get your district's voter file loaded, cut into walkable turf, and onto an app your volunteers use at the door. Kansas is fully available; see how to get your voter file.
Talk to us about your Kansas race
Tell us what you're running for and we'll help you go from "qualified" to "knocking doors": voter file loaded, turf cut, volunteers set up.