TOPEKA — United Kansas became the state’s third recognized minor political party Friday to join No Labels Kansas and the Libertarian Party on general election ballots in 2024.
Zany: This is exciting. If a third party starts winning elections for state Senate and House seats in Kansas, perhaps it will shake the two major parties awake. Voters in the state, and I’d say the country, are getting tired of partisan politics where nothing can get done. They also need to realize that they can’t continue to expect our votes. They need to earn them by doing more for the American people, especially those in underserved communities.
Pass legislation to help the homeless. Raise the minimum wage that hasn’t gone up in over a decade. Begin to side with the workers instead of the corporations. Expand the Supreme Court! No more Conservative supermajority. Christian Nationalism must be stopped. Codify abortion rights! The biggest move of all is something everyone wants: Get money out of politics.
Here is Kansas Reflector with more about the United Kansas party.
KANSAS REFLECTOR
Secretary of State Scott Schwab said United Kansas was acknowledged as a party after submitting petition signatures of registered voters that surpassed 2% of total votes cast in the gubernatorial election in 2022. The new party would be able to nominate candidates and register voters under the United Kansas name.
United Kansas organizer Jack Curtis said official recognition moved the state’s voters closer to a “more vibrant, representative democracy” through a process that sought election of principled, commonsense candidates.
He said the objective at the outset would be elections for Kansas House and Kansas Senate. Candidates nominated for their willingness to work across party lines would be announced by the June 3 candidate filing deadline in Kansas, he said.
“Too many Kansans feel stranded in the increasing divide between the two major parties,” he said. “Having earned the support of more than 35,000 voters, United Kansas will help bridge this gap by backing viable candidates who are focused on real problem-solving in our communities.”
The petition signatures were submitted to the secretary of state’s office last month. County election officers were responsible for validating signatures on the petitions.
Curtis said the party’s organizers were interested in building the argument for fusion voting — an idea that would enable United Kansas to cross-nominate Republican or Democratic candidates. Litigation may be necessary to implement the concept, he said.
If the nomination system was approved in Kansas, he said, votes would be tallied separately by party and added together to produce final results.
Curtis said the system would give major parties greater incentive to appeal to moderate and independent voters, while also solving the “spoiler” or “wasted vote” challenges plaguing U.S. third party candidates.
In January, the Kansas secretary of state formally recognized No Labels Kansas. The Libertarian Party has been on ballots in Kansas since 1992.
Tim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years. He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal and previously worked for the Lawrence Journal-World and United Press International.
Excerpts or more from this article, originally published on Kansas Reflector appear in this post. Republished, with permission, under a Creative Commons License.
