NOW is the time to consider your party affiliation for the August primary!
- Stand Up Blue Valley
- May 9
- 3 min read
EVERY Kansas voter should plan to vote in the Tues., Aug. 4, 2026 primary election - there’s a critically important constitutional amendment on the ballot (more below). BOTH major political parties will have primaries for multiple offices, including KS Governor. But you can only vote in one party’s primary (not both).
NOW is the time to consider your party affiliation! If you’re already registered to vote, the deadline to switch party affiliation is June 1. Party primary elections in KS are “closed” - you MUST be affiliated with a party to vote in their primary. If you are “Unaffiliated” you will declare party affiliation on the day you vote, if you want to vote in a party primary.
See the link in comments to update your party affiliation online. Do this TODAY! You must have a KS driver’s license or state ID card to use this online tool.
If you’re not registered to vote in KS at all - that deadline is July 14, 2026. But don't wait! Register now! And copy this graphic and text it to your friends today!
FAQ:
Can I vote in the Tues., Aug. 4 primary even if I’m not affiliated with a party?
YES. ALL registered voters in KS will have the constitutional amendment for judicial selection on their primary ballot.
ALSO, “Unaffiliated” registered voters may declare party affiliation when they vote, if they want to vote in a party primary.
Can I vote in the Democratic primary if I’m a registered Republican (or vice versa)?
NO. You must change party affiliation prior to EOD June 1, OR change to Unaffiliated before then and plan to declare a political party affiliation at the polls.
Can I vote in a political party primary if I’m registered Unaffiliated?
YES. You will have to “affiliate” with a party when you go vote in-person or when you request a mail ballot. This party affiliation will NOT impact your ability to vote for any candidate in the November General Election. If you’ve changed political parties to vote in a specific primary this August, you can switch back to another party - or to Unaffiliated - after Aug. 31.
How do I decide which party’s primary I want to vote in?
Go to the JoCo Election website (link below) and look under “Current Candidates.” You can see who has filed for office and their party. For example, there are several candidates running for KS Governor in the primary. If you want to have a say in which one of those candidates moves on to the November General Election, you MUST be affiliated with that candidate’s party to vote for them in the August primary.
Unfortunately, the last day to switch party affiliation is also the deadline for candidates to file for election. There are always last-minute filers. So you won’t know all the candidates until it’s too late to switch. BUT some candidates haven’t filed yet.
What if I don’t know yet what party primary I want to vote in?
Make your party affiliation “Unaffiliated.” You can then pick a political party when you request your ballot online or in person.
Can I switch back to U/R/D after I vote in the primary?
Yes, after Aug. 31, 2026. You can use the same link below to do that.
What about the constitutional amendment?
This is a monumental election issue that is sadly not on the radar of many KS voters. The proposed amendment would upend the currently impartial procedure for choosing KS Supreme Court Justices. We’ll talk more about this in the coming weeks. We strongly recommend a NO vote.
Who is “for” this amendment? Americans for (Their Own) Prosperity and anti-public education MAGA Republicans support changing the constitution. They don’t like it when the KS Supreme Court makes them follow the Kansas Constitution to fund schools (among many other KS Supt Co decisions they don’t like).
If we’re voting on a constitutional amendment, WHY wouldn’t that issue be on the November General Election ballot, instead of August? Don’t fewer people usually vote in primaries?
YES! The MAGA-supermajority KS Legislature put this constitutional amendment on the August primary ballot - just like they did with the August 2022 “Value Them Both” amendment (which was soundly defeated by KS voters). KsLeg is trying to slip another unpopular amendment past the majority of Kansans. The only way to stop this cycle is to elect non-MAGA legislators this November. More on that to come!
Link to online voter registration/change party affiliation:
Link to view current candidates (shows only the ones who have already filed for office):
Comments