Campaign finance requirements for Kansas ballot measures
 in Kansas |
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Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in Kansas must adhere to the state's campaign finance laws. These laws regulate the amounts and sources of money given or received for political purposes; in addition, campaign finance laws stipulate disclosure requirements for political contributions and expenditures.
Proponents of more stringent regulations and disclosure requirements, such as the Brennan Center for Justice, claim that current laws do not go far enough to mitigate corruption and the influence of undisclosed special interests. Others, such as the Institute for Free Speech, argue that strict disclosure requirements and contribution limits impinge upon the rights to privacy and free expression.[1][2]
| In Kansas, individuals or groups involved in statewide ballot measure campaigns do not need to register with any government agency before receiving contributions or making expenditures; regular campaign finance disclosure reports are still required, however. |
The laws and regulations that apply to ballot measure campaigns may differ from those that apply to candidates for political office. To learn more about campaign finance requirements for candidates, see this article.
Kansas ballot measures
- See also: Ballot measure
A ballot measure is any question or issue that appears on an election ballot to be approved or rejected by voters. In 26 states, plus Washington, D.C., citizens may use the initiative and referendum process, which permits citizens to petition to place measures on the ballot and usually involves a signature collection process of some kind. Even in states without initiative and referendum processes, however, ballot measures exist. In all states, citizens may be asked to approve legislatively referred constitutional amendments, state statutes, bond issues or tax proposals.
In Kansas, ballot measures come in one form: legislatively referred constitutional amendments.
Organizational requirements
Any entity promoting or opposing a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Kansas must file campaign finance disclosure reports; however, it does not appear that such entities are not required to file an organizational or registration form.[3]
Contribution limits
There do not appear to be any contribution limits applicable to entities involved in ballot measure campaigns in Kansas.[4]
Reporting requirements
Entities involved in state ballot measure campaigns in Kansas must file an annual campaign finance disclosure report with the Kansas Secretary of State. For all contributions exceeding $50 in aggregate during the calendar year, the entity must report the contributor's name and address. Likewise, for all expenditures exceeding $50 in the aggregate during a calendar year, the entity must report the recipient's name and address, as well as the purpose of the expenditure. This report must be filed on February 15 for the preceding calendar year.[3][5]
In addition to the aforementioned annual report, any individual or group involved in a statewide ballot measure campaign must also file a preliminary report with the secretary of state 15 days prior to the date of the election. A supplemental report must be filed within 15 days after the election date. These two reports must include substantially the same information as the annual report.[3]
Year-specific reporting dates
2021
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Kansas in 2021.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Kansas, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| Annual report | January 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021 | January 10, 2022 |
| Semi-annual report | January 1, 2022 – July 21, 2021 | July 25, 2022 |
| Pre-election report | July 22, 2022 – October 27, 2022 | October 31, 2022 |
| Post-election report | October 28, 2022 – December 31, 2022 | January 10, 2023 |
| Source: Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, "2022 ELECTION CYCLE Reporting Periods and Due Dates For Campaign Finance Reports," accessed February 3, 2021 | ||
2016
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Kansas in 2016. Please note that these dates are approximate.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Kansas, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| Pre-election supplemental report | Covering activity through October 24, 2016 | October 24, 2016 |
| Post-election supplemental report | Covering activity through November 23, 2016 | November 23, 2016 |
| Annual report | Covering activity in calendar year 2016 | February 15, 2016 |
| Source: Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, "Constitutional Ballot Questions," accessed December 10, 2015 | ||
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in Kansas
In Kansas, there are two primary agencies involved in campaign finance regulation: the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission and the Office of the Kansas Secretary of State. The former "is charged with administering, interpreting, and enforcing" the state's campaign finance laws; the latter receives the campaign finance disclosure reports filed by candidates and political committees.[6][7]
- Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission
- 109 SW 9th, Suite 504
- Topeka, Kansas 66612
- Telephone: (785) 296-4219
- Fax: (785) 296-2548
- Email: ethics@ethics.ks.gov
- Kansas Secretary of State, Elections and Legislative Matters
- Memorial Hall, First Floor
- 120 SW 10th Avenue
- Topeka, Kansas 66612-1594
- Telephone: (785) 296-4561
- Fax: (785) 291-3051
- Email: election@sos.ks.gov
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Kansas state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Kansas campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in Kansas
- Campaign finance agencies in Kansas
- List of Kansas ballot measures
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Institute for Free Speech, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Kansas Statutes, "Section 25-4180," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ Kansas Statutes, "Section 25-4153," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, "Instructions for Receipts and Expenditures Report of a Person Promoting or Opposing a Kansas Constitutional Ballot Question," accessed December 10, 2015
- ↑ Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, "Home page," accessed July 27, 2015
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance," accessed July 27, 2015
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