Kansas House Bill HB2056

Kansas 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/22/25
• Refer: 1/22/25
• Report Pass: 2/14/25
• Refer: 2/18/25
• Refer: 2/20/25
• Refer: 2/25/25
• Engrossed: 2/27/25
• Refer: 2/28/25
• Report Pass: 3/17/25
• Enrolled: 4/10/25
• Passed: 4/10/25

Caption

Senate Substitute for HB 2056- Requiring specific intent as an element of the crime of false representation of an election official; requiring that any person nominated for an elected office accept such nomination by signing a notarized statement of acceptance and restricting the number of nominations a person may accept to one nomination per election cycle.

Summary

HB2056 is an elections bill that makes several changes to Kansas election law. The bill requires a person named on a minor political party’s certificate of nomination to formally accept the nomination by signing a notarized declaration, and it bars a person from becoming a candidate for another political party or as an independent for the same office after already accepting a nomination or filing under another candidacy path, unless the person properly declines or withdraws before the filing deadline. It also clarifies and tightens the offense of false representation of an election official by adding a specific intent requirement and defining the conduct covered by the crime. The bill also extends the pre-election testing window for voting equipment. County election officers must now test automatic tabulating equipment and optical scanning equipment within 30 days before an election, rather than within five days, and must repeat the test within five business days after canvass. The testing procedures, public notice requirements, and retention rules are preserved and updated for both types of equipment.

Impact

HB2056 amends multiple sections of Kansas election statutes, including provisions governing party nominations, candidate eligibility, election-crime enforcement, and pre-election testing of voting systems. It affects political parties, nominees, independent candidates, county election officers, the secretary of state, and election administrators responsible for tabulating and optical scanning equipment. The bill also repeals the prior versions of the amended statutes and replaces them with the new requirements, making the changes immediately part of Kansas election law upon publication in the statute book.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad legislative support overall, but not unanimous support. It passed the House and Senate with substantial majorities, including 118-1 in the House on emergency final action and 34-6 in the Senate on both final action and the conference report, though the House conference report vote was more divided at 88-37. The vote pattern suggests general agreement with the bill’s election-administration and anti-fraud provisions, alongside some concern about the nomination restrictions and changes to criminal enforcement.

Contention

The main points of contention likely centered on the new notarized acceptance requirement and the restriction on moving between nomination paths, which could be seen as limiting candidate flexibility and party access. Another likely area of debate was the change to the false-representation offense, because adding a specific intent element narrows criminal liability while still targeting impersonation of election officials. The extension of equipment-testing deadlines may also have drawn attention from election administrators and lawmakers concerned with balancing security, transparency, and administrative workload.