Election 2022

Rep. Emil Bergquist, R-Park City, chaired a meeting of the House Local Government Committee to consider a bill repealing the right of cities to extend zoning regulations up to three miles into unincorporated areas beyond city limits. His committee also heard testimony on a bill allowing county residents within the three-mile radius to vote in city elections. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

Legislation challenges Kansas law allowing city zoning 3 miles into unincorporated area of county
BY: - February 8, 2023

Kansas House is considering repeal of the state law allowing cities to extend zoning regulations up to 3 miles into unincorporated areas of a county.

Independent state Sen. Dennis Pyle of Hiawatha is at the center of a neighor-to-neighbor property dispute that made its way Thursday to the Kansas Supreme Court. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

Northeast Kansas farm neighbors Pyle, Gall ask state’s highest court to settle property dispute
BY: - February 2, 2023

A Kansas state senator and one of his neighbors take the unusual step of carrying their property dispute to members of the Kansas Supreme Court.

Shawnee County District Court Judge Rachel Pickering was confirmed by the Kansas Senate to a vacancy on the Kansas Court of Appeals, but her nomination provided some Senate Republicans with justification to call for a change in the Kansas Constitution to require Senate confirmation of appointees to the Kansas Supreme Court. (Kansas Reflector screen capture fro Kansas Legislature YouTube channel)

Scuffle over Kelly’s nominee to Court of Appeals foreshadows bigger fight over Supreme Court
BY: - January 29, 2023

Senate GOP's spat with Gov. Laura Kelly on Court of Appeals nominee points to renewal of constitutional feud on selection of Supreme Court nominees.

House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, ushered through a new set of House rules that protected bill bundling and after-midnight floor debates while blocking partisan control of committee assignments and an attempt to make it easier to force recorded roll-call votes on bills. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

Kansas House tangles on procedural rules before preserving late-night debates, bill bundling
BY: - January 26, 2023

Kansas House sets rules for 2023 and 2024 sessions, including preservation of bill bundling and after-midnight debate, and raising a barrier to spending.

Sen. David Haley, D-Kansas City, and Rep. Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence, are the state's longest-serving current members of the Senate and House. They discussed their political careers during a Kansas Reflector podcast. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

Longest-serving members of Kansas Legislature talk about career, race and partisan politics
BY: - January 23, 2023

Kansas Legislature's longest serving current senator and representative — David Haley and Barbara Ballard — talk about career, race and partisan politics.

Three new members of the 10-person Kansas Board of Education made their presence felt at their first meeting by raising questions about COVID-19 relief funding for local school districts, the summer food program for malnourished students and retention of the Board of Education's attorney. The image is the statehouse mural honoring the Brown v. Board of Education decision declaring segregation of schools unconstitutional. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

Three Kansas Board of Education newcomers make presence felt at inaugural meeting
BY: - January 15, 2023

Three new members of Kansas Board of Education make presence felt at their first meeting on COVID-19 funding, nutrition programs and hiring an attorney.

Kansas Gov. Kelly calls for ‘civility and kindness’ in second inaugural speech
BY: and - January 9, 2023

It’s time to turn down the volume and reject the divisive politics of Washington, D.C., Gov. Laura Kelly said Monday. Instead, she said, Kansas leaders should be “guided by civility and kindness, even when we disagree.”  “Perhaps, especially when we disagree,” Kelly said. Kelly, a Democrat, took the oath of office and began her second […]

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who won reelection in November, begins a second term as governor Monday with the inauguration ceremony on steps of the Capitol and opening inside the building of the 2023 legislative session with Republicans holding two-thirds majorities in the House an Senate. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

Gov. Laura Kelly launching second term poised to balance centrist philosophy of governing
BY: - January 8, 2023

Gov. Laura Kelly to stay in the middle of the road politically in her second term, while GOP House and Senate plan to make use of their supermajorities.

Sen. Dennis Pyle. Hawk, who will retire next week, proposed an increase from $88 to $320 in daily in-session pay for legislators in an attempt to boost overall annual compensation to about $50,000. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

Retiring Kansas senator’s gift to colleagues: A bill proposing ‘overdue’ raise in salary
BY: - January 7, 2023

Retiring Manhattan Sen. Tom Hawk proposes increase in daily legislator salary from $88 to $320 — enough to raise overall compensation to about $50,000.

Manhattan City Commission member Usha Reddi was chosen to replace retiring Democratic state Sen. Tom Hawk, top row in mask, on Jan. 10. She has served on the city commission since 2013 and was a candidate for U.S. Senate until ending that campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

Manhattan city commissioner selected to complete Senate term of Democrat Tom Hawk
BY: - January 6, 2023

Kansas Senate will have three newcomers — two Republican, one Democratic — due to resignations, The latest addition Usha Reddi of Manhattan.

Attorney General-elect Kris Kobach's 2020 campaign for U.S. Senate and the organization We Build the Wall were fined $30,000 by the Federal Elections Commission for violations of federal campaign finance law. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

Kobach’s U.S. Senate campaign, We Build the Wall hit by $30,000 fine for campaign law violations
BY: - December 31, 2022

Kansas Attorney General-elect Kris Kobach's campaign for U.S. Senate and We Build the Wall fined $30,000 for federal campaign finance violations.

Josh Jamerson, East Coast bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal, says Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' decisive reelection victory in November demonstrated for some Republicans he could be an alternative to former President Donald Trump in 2024. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Dole Institute of Politics YouTube channel)

Dole Institute political analysts: Biden vs. Trump rematch likely in 2024, neither a lock to win
BY: - December 26, 2022

Consensus of Dole Institute of Politics' election experts is 2024 will be a rematch of Biden and Trump, but neither has a lock on the presidential race.

RETURN TO HOME