Design By: Xaviana Reece

On Nov. 3, many Kansans will exercise their right to vote for both national and state candidates. Consult this voting guide to prepare as the general election approaches.  

Advance Voting Options 

Registered Kansas voters are allowed to vote up to 20 days before Election Day through advance voting. With proper photo identification, voters can vote in-person at available county election offices or satellite voting locations.  

Voters also have the option to vote by mail, which requires the completion of a Mail Ballot Application form, which can be returned to [email protected] or sent by mail to the Johnson County Election Office. The deadline to return mail ballots is the close of the polls on Election Day at 7 pm.  

The Candidates  

The races with their corresponding party representatives are as follows:  

U.S. Senate  

Two senators represent their states in the Senate with duties such as writing and voting on laws and taking action on bills and amendments. 

This year’s midterm election may make history with a U.S. Senate toss-up— it could be anyone’s game, as results between Democrat Adam Hamilton and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall are anticipated to be tighter than expected for a continually red state. A Democrat win would be the first since 1932 for a Kansan U.S. Senate race.  

Adam Hamilton (D):  

• Founding pastor of the Church of the Resurrection, Adam Hamilton of Leawood, is running for senator to unite Kansans across partisan divides.  

• Hamilton aims to bring the costs of gas, groceries, housing and health care down. Calling for a suspension of the gas tax until the war with Iran ends, Hamilton supports public education and secure borders. 

Incumbent U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R):  

• Marshall of Great Bend formerly worked as an OB/GYN for 25 years before serving as U.S. representative for Kansas’s 1st Congressional District from 2017 to 2021. Marshall’s stint as a senator began in 2021. President Donald Trump endorsed him.  

• Marshall largely focuses on supporting farmers and agriculture by fighting for ways to promote affordability and stronger crop insurance. He also believes in secure borders and ICE’s enforcement with proper management. As a first-generation college student, Marshall believes education helps people achieve the “American dream” and has previously drawn attention to expanded federal Pell Grant funding and student loan reforms nationwide in January. On the topic of gas prices, Marshall initially said it was the “barometer for this election” and has declared that “There are things more important than money to Kansans” in early October.  

 Kansas Governor  

Serves as the chief executive officer and highest-ranking elected official.  

Cindy Holscher (D):  

• Holscher of Overland Park has served as a Kansas state senator since 2021 and also served in the Kansas House of Representatives from 2017 to 2021. She has a background in corporate management at Sprint.  

• Holscher’s “Common Sense Agenda” highlights priorities such as fully funding public schools, higher accessibility and affordability of health care, pausing data centers until the establishment of guardrails and standing up to billionaires who get in the way of her mission of Kansans first.  

Ty Masterson (R):  

• Masterson of Andover has been the current Kansas Senate president since 2021 and a state senator since 2009.  

• Masterson approaches education through a business lens, believing that school vouchers can improve public schools. He also supported Senate Bill 254, barring in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants.  

U.S. House of Representatives  

Although Kansas has four congressional districts, we will be covering the three closest to JCCC.  

Kansas Congressional District 1  

Lauren Reinhold (D): Reinhold of Lawrence serves as an attorney and has formerly worked for the U.S. Social Security Administration. Her “go-everywhere” grassroots campaign focuses on rural economic recovery.  

Incumbent Representative Tracey Mann (R): Mann of Salina has served as District 1’s representative since 2021. Mann is aligned with Pro-Life and pro-gun ideas as well as committed to supporting Kansan farmers and rural revitalization. He also supports the construction of a wall along the southern border  

Steven Jacob (Libertarian): Jacob of Lawrence wants to prioritize addressing national debt and ending the wars.  

Kansas Congressional District 2  

Don Coover (D): Coover of Galesburg runs a beef cattle genetics company and is running to represent Kansas as a representative to focus on the agricultural economy, healthcare reform, and energy costs, especially amid the war with Iran.  

Incumbent Representative Derek Schmidt (R): Since being elected in 2025, Schmidt has been a champion of border control and security, economic relief to lower inflation for Kansas families and public safety.  

John Hauer (L): Hauer of Topeka outlines his priorities, such as no more war, eliminating the federal income tax and cutting spending.  

Kansas Congressional District 3  

Incumbent Representative Sharice Davids (D): Since 2019, Davids of Shawnee has served as the District 3 Representative. Davids supports a “secure and humane immigration system,” lowering costs for Kansans, strengthening the Affordable Care Act and making education more affordable.  

Eric Jenkins (R): Jenkins of Shawnee is a retired U.S. Army colonel who served from 2015 to 2023 as a Shawnee City Council member. Jenkins supports secure borders, lower taxes and affordable energy, and fiscal responsibility of the federal government.  

Steve Hohe (L): Hohe of Shawnee campaigns for less federal government control, abolishing the federal income tax and cutting down on federal government spending.  

Attorney General  

Duties include enforcing state and federal laws and counseling state government agencies.  

Chris Mann (D): As a private practice attorney of Lawrence, Mann is dedicated to recruiting quality law enforcement, expanding efforts to end the drug crisis, addressing domestic violence, and ensuring communities have ample resources for investigations.  

Incumbent Attorney General Kris Kobach (R): Since 2023, Kobach of Lecompton has focused on stopping the fentanyl crisis, securing borders and law enforcement working with ICE.  

Secretary of State  

 Oversees elections and voter registration. 

Jennifer Day (D): Real estate investor and former representative for the Kansas House serving Overland Park, Day is focusing on protecting election integrity, the right to vote, and helping small businesses by cutting bureaucracy.  

Pat Proctor (R): As a current Kansas House representative since 2021, Proctor of Leavenworth wants to focus on supporting small business owners and promoting voter validity.  

Scott Morgan (United Kansas): Morgan of Lawrence supports accessible and trusted elections, modernizing the Secretary of State’s office, and encouraging voter participation.  

In other news, Kansans will vote on a constitutional amendment clarifying that only U.S. citizens can vote, replacing the current wording “every.” 

 To learn more about the candidates and the proposed amendment before Election Day, consult the Kansas Reflector.