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Session of 2025
SENATE BILL No. 143
By Senator Holscher
2-3
AN ACT concerning members of the legislature; imposing term limits;
allowing members to serve additional terms conditioned on the vote in
the next primary election; amending K.S.A. 25-702 and repealing the
existing section.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
New Section 1. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), on and after
January 11, 2027, no individual shall be elected as a member of the house
of representatives or of the senate if such individual has served as a
member of the legislature for 16 or more years.
(b) An individual may serve as a member of the legislature for not
more than four years in addition to the limit on years of service specified
in subsection (a) if such individual is certified as the winning candidate in
the next subsequent primary election for the office of state representative
or state senator and is certified as receiving not less than 70% of the total
votes cast for such office in such election. An individual elected as a
member of the house of representatives under this subsection shall be
certified as the winning candidate and as receiving not less than 70% of
the total votes cast for such office in each of the next two subsequent
primary elections for such office in order to serve an additional four years.
(c) In determining the number of years an individual has served:
(1) Both full and partial terms shall be included;
(2) years served in the house of representatives and the senate shall
be aggregated; and
(3) years shall be included whether served consecutively or
nonconsecutively.
Sec. 2. K.S.A. 25-702 is hereby amended to read as follows: 25-702.
(a) In all elections for the choice of any officer, except the offices of
governor and lieutenant governor, unless it is otherwise expressly provided
by law, the person having the highest number of votes for any office shall
be deemed to have been elected to that office ; and . Whenever it shall
satisfactorily appear that any person has received the highest number of
votes for any office, such person shall receive the certificate of election,
notwithstanding that the provisions of law may not have been fully
complied with in noticing and conducting the election, so that the real will
of the people may not be defeated by any technical irregularity of any
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officer.
(b) In all elections for the choice of governor and lieutenant governor,
the pair of candidates having the highest number of votes shall be deemed
to have been elected. Whenever it shall satisfactorily appear that any pair
of candidates has received the highest number of votes for governor and
lieutenant governor, such candidates shall receive certificates of election,
notwithstanding that the provisions of law may not have been fully
complied with in noticing and conducting the election, so that the real will
of the people may not be defeated by any technical irregularity of any
officer.
(c) (1) When any candidate for the office of state representative or
state senator seeks election to such office and if so elected would serve an
aggregate number of years as a member of the legislature in excess of the
limit established under section 1(a), and amendments thereto, such
candidate shall not be certified as the winning candidate in any primary
election for such office unless such candidate receives not less than 70%
of the total votes cast for such office in such election.
(2) If a candidate described in paragraph (1) receives less than 70%
of the total votes cast for such office in such election but receives the
highest number of votes cast for such office, then the candidate listed on
the ballot for such office with the next highest number of votes shall be
certified as the winner of such election.
(3) If a candidate described in paragraph (1) receives less than 70%
of the total votes cast for such office in such election and there are no
other candidates listed on the ballot for such office, then no person shall
be certified as the winner of such election.
Sec. 3. K.S.A. 25-702 is hereby repealed.
Sec. 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
publication in the statute book.
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