Precinct Chair is an elected position, and while it has few duties, it is critical in the democratic process. When a legislator retires during his our her term, the Precinct Chairs are the officials who select the replacement to serve out the term of office. Since the last election in 2014, at least three legislators retired and were replaced.
It is a small step towards making a difference in how you are represented in Topeka, and easy, too!
There are two precinct chairs for each Kansas legislative District, one of each gender, for each party. So in District 20, there can be four Precinct Chairs, two Democrats, and two Republicans. The process of getting your name on the ballot could not be easier.
No fee is required.
No petition with signatures is required.
You just fill out a form (it does have to be notarized) and file it with your county election officer. On the form, you will declare something along these lines, "I declare that I am affiliated with the above-stated party and that I intend to become a candidate for the above-stated office at the appropriate office."
How to do it
1. Look up your precinct here: Vote KS Registration Information
2. See if there is an incumbent. You'll be surprised at how many empty positions there are. As with all of these documents, you may have to call your local county election office if we haven't found them online.
3. Discover if someone has already filed to run for that seat. Elections are held every two years. You may have to call your local county election office.
4. Decide on whether to file. Here are the links for the Candidate Declaration of Intent forms:
- Douglas County (site)
- Johnson County (site)
- Sedgwick County (pdf)
- Wyandotte County (pdf)
- Other county election offices can be found here