What’s on your Kansas primary ballot this August

Kansas primary voters will decide Aug. 6 who will survive for the general election in races for the U.S. House of Representatives and seats in the state Legislature.

The deadline to register to vote in the primary is Tuesday, July 16.

Think of a primary election as a semifinal round, where members of the same party compete to become nominees who show up on general election ballots.

But in cases where one party is heavily favored to win, or one of the parties can’t recruit a candidate, the primary election could be your best chance to influence who ends up in office.

Races on the ballot this August include seats for the U.S. House of Representatives, the Kansas State Board of Education and the Kansas Senate and House.

There are no constitutional amendments on the ballot this year.

Here’s what to expect on your Kansas primary election ballot.

Finding your sample ballot

What appears on your ballot depends on where you live and what you choose.

Kansas has semi-closed primaries. That means if you’re registered with one party, you can only vote in that party’s primary. An unaffiliated voter can declare their affiliation with a political party on the day of an election and vote in that party’s primary.

If you are previously affiliated with another party, you cannot change your affiliation on the day of the election.

When you vote, you’ll only see the candidates for each race from the party you’re registered with.

You’ll be able to vote for U.S. House, Kansas Legislature and county offices based on your address.

You can find lists of all of the candidates in your county, separated by party, on some local election board websites. That includes Johnson County, Sedgwick County and Wyandotte County.

The Kansas secretary of state has a website where you see all the candidates on the ballot alongside their information.

U.S Congress

Voters will elect U.S House members from four districts in Kansas.

Kansas legislative races

You’ll see a Kansas House of Representatives race on your ballot. In some cases, there is only one or no candidate seeking your party’s nomination.

All 40 seats for the Kansas state Senate are also up for election this year.

County Offices

Depending where you live, you may also see county offices or questions on your ballot.

For example, Johnson County is electing a district attorney and a sheriff.

Sedgwick County is electing a county commissioner and a county treasurer.

Wyandotte County is electing district judges.

Party committeemen and committeewomen for your county or city could also appear on your ballot.

Constitutional Amendments

There are no constitutional amendments that will appear on the ballot this year.

Maria Benevento is the Kansas City education reporter at The Beacon. She is a Report for America corps member. Follow her on Twitter @MariaFBenevento. More by Maria Benevento