Kansas

Kansas’ congressional and state legislative lines are both drawn by the state legislature, as a regular statute, subject to gubernatorial veto.

The state legislative plan is automatically sent to the Kansas Supreme Court for review; if the plan is unlawful, the Court will allow the legislature another opportunity to redraw the lines. No similar provision exists for congressional lines. [Kan. Const. art. X, § 1(b)]

Kansas state law does not impose a particular deadline for drawing congressional lines, though candidates must file for congressional primary elections by June 1, 2022. [Kan. Stat. Ann. § 25-205(a)(1)]  The legislative session began on Jan. 11, 2021, and is currently scheduled to end on May 14, 2021.

State legislative lines must be drawn in the regular legislative session of 2022; that session is scheduled to begin on Jan. 10, 2022, and end on Apr. 10, 2022. [Kan. Const. art. II, § 8; art. X, § 1(a)] Candidates must file for state legislative primary elections by June 1, 2022. [Kan. Stat. Ann. § 25-205(a)(1)].

Kansas prohibits redrawing state legislative district lines mid-decade, before the next Census, but has no similarly explicit prohibition on redrawing congressional lines. [Kan. Const. art. X, § 1(a); Harris v. Shanahan, 387 P.2d 771 (Kan. 1963)]

The legislative redistricting committees held public meetings in August 2021 and November 2021.  More information about opportunities for the public to participate in the 2020 cycle is available here.

Like all states, Kansas must comply with constitutional equal population requirements. (Kansas once adjusted census data in order to count military personnel and college students at their permanent residence, but as of 2019, no longer does so.) [Kan. Const. art. X, § 1(a); Kan. S. Con. Res. 1605; Kan. Stat. §§ 11-301 – 307]

Kansas must also, like all states, abide by the Voting Rights Act and constitutional rules on race.

The legislature passed a congressional redistricting plan (SB 355) on Jan. 26, 2022; the governor vetoed the bill on Feb. 4, 2022, but the legislature overrode her veto on Feb. 9, 2022.  Challenges to the congressional plan were rejected on appeal by the state Supreme Court. [Rivera v. Schwab, 512 P.3d 168 (Kan. 2022)]

The legislature passed state legislative plans (SB 563) on Mar. 30, 2022, which the governor signed on Apr. 15, 2022, and which were approved by the state Supreme Court (pursuant to a mandatory automatic review) on June 21, 2022.  [In re Petition of Att’y Gen. Schmidt, 512 P.3d 220 (Kan. 2022)]

Kansas’s legislature could not agree on congressional or state legislative district lines.  On June 7, 2012, a federal court drew district lines instead.  [Essex v. Kobach, 874 F. Supp. 2d 1069 (D. Kan. 2012)]

Kansas’s legislature enacted state House districts (HB 2625) on Mar. 11, 2002, state Senate districts (SB 256) on Apr. 8, 2002, and congressional districts (SB 152) on May 31, 2002.

The state legislative plans were automatically submitted to state court, and upheld.  The congressional plan was also challenged in federal court, and ultimately upheld. [In re Substitute for House Bill 2625, 44 P.3d 1266 (Kan. 2002); In re Substitute for Senate Bill 256, 45 P.3d 855  (Kan. 2002); Graham v. Thornburgh, 207 F. Supp. 2d 1280 (D. Kan. 2002)]