Marisa \;O&rsquo\;Gara is a Senior Policy Advisor at the Insti tute for Responsive Government\, \;where she drafts election legislati on and constitutional amendments both nationally and in Kansas. She previo usly spent four years as an election litigator at Elias Law Group\, where she litigated voting rights cases nationally and in Kansas. Her work in th e state includes constitutional challenges to Kansas's elimination of the three-day mail ballot grace period\, as well as litigation in which the Le ague has been a plaintiff regarding Kansas's signature matching law and th e "false representation of an election official" provision. She received h er B.A. from the University of Rhode Island\, her J.D. from Cornell Univer sity\, and is a member of the Kansas\, Illinois\, and D.C. bars.
\n< /p>\n
The Kansas Constitution was approved by Kansas voters on October 4\, 1859. However\, it was not the of ficial constitution of Kansas until it was approved by the U.S. House of R epresentatives and U.S. Senate and signed by the President. President Jame s Buchanan signed the bill on January 29\, 1861\, making Kansas the 34th s tate to enter the Union.
\nThe Kansas Secretary of State\, through the Elections Div ision\, is responsible for the administration of all national and state el ections. \;
\nThe Kansas Secretary of State also provides a historical list of Constitutional Amendments a nd Proposed Amendments including the results of each election. \;< /p>\n
The Kansas Legislature voted on House Concurrent Resolution 5004 i n Spring 2005. \;A two-thirds vote is required during one legislative session for the Kansas State Legislature to place a constitutional amendme nt on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 27 votes in the Kansas Stat e Senate and 84 votes in the Kansas House of Representatives\, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be refer red to the ballot.
\n\nOn Nov. 3\, 2026\, Kansas voters will decide on a proposed constitutional amendment on their general election ballots.
\nConst itutional Amendment - Kansas Citizenship Voting Requirement
\nExplan atory statement: This amendment would clarify that only a person who is a citizen of the United States is eligible to vote in this state.
\nA
vote for this proposition would clarify that only a person who is a citize
n of the United States is eligible to vote in this state.
A vote agai
nst this proposition would make no change to the constitution of the state
of Kansas\, and the language concerning voter qualifications would remain
the same.
___
About Tuesday Topics: The first Tuesday of eac
h month the League of Women Voters hosts a presenter to discuss various ci
vic engagement topics. Lunch can be purchased from the library's Millenniu
m Cafe and brought into the meeting.
Attend in person or by Zoom.