The State of Kansas and, thus, Finney County will conduct a Presidential Preference Primary in March 2024.
A presidential preference primary takes an act by the Kansas legislature to be conducted. The enactment takes the responsibility from the two state parties (Republican and Democrat) in Kansas from conducting a caucus. Instead, it gives the responsibility to the State of Kansas to conduct a primary election. It is a “preference” primary because it is an election where the vote totals are given to a political party to allocate delegates to candidates at the national convention. This is not a primary where the voters select the party candidate.
While the election will be state-run, some rules vary from that of a normal election:
The deadline to register to vote is 30 days prior to the Presidential Preference Primary Election Day as opposed to 21 days prior in standard elections.
The deadline to apply for a mail ballot is 30 days prior to the date of the Presidential Preference Primary Election Day as opposed to 8 days before in standard elections.
The deadline to submit voted mail ballots is the close of polls on Presidential Preference Primary Election Day instead of postmarked by Election Day and received by the third day following election day.
County Certification of Election Results (canvass) must take place no later than 8 days after Presidential Preference Primary Election Day as opposed to on or before the 13th day following election day
Check out the list of election dates on this page to ensure you don't miss anything!
The presidential preferential primary law was passed in 1978. Kansas had one preference primary in 1980. The state legislature did not fund subsequent presidential preferential primary elections.
In 1992, the state legislature funded Kansas's second and last preference primary. About 373,000 voters state-wide participated. Finney County received 2,912 voters in the 1992 Presidential Preference Primary.
In 2023, the Kansas Legislature authorized a state-run and state-funded Presidential Preference Primary for 2024. This is a one-time presidential preference primary; should the Kansas legislature choose to have another presidential preference primary in four years, this would require an act of the legislature.