TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – What happens if a candidate dies after ballots have been printed?
KSNT News contacted the Kansas Secretary of State’s (SOS) office to find out. Whitney Tempel with the SOS said if the death happens after it’s too late to change the ballot, voters will still be able to vote for the deceased candidate. If the dead candidate wins, their position is declared vacant, and party leaders elect a replacement.
If a candidate dies before Sept. 1, the SOS or CEO notifies the party chair within 48 hours.
According to election standards documents, Kansas law doesn’t have provisions for deaths that happen after ballots are printed. If it’s too late, ballots can be corrected by hand by voters.
“‘Correcting by hand’ usually means obliterating the incorrect information with a marker and hand-writing the correct information on each ballot,” according to Kansas election standards documents.
If a death happens after ballots are printed, election board workers will be instructed to inform voters of the ballot correction.
In Kansas, there are no legal provisions for the death of independent candidates for national, state, county or township office.
