Katherine T. Bennett Testimony in Kansas: Election Date Consolidation

ALEC Process and Procedures Task Force Director Katherine T. Bennett was recently invited to testify before the Kansas House Election Committee regarding election date consolidation.

Read her testimony below:

Thank you for the invitation to speak today. My name is Katherine Bennett, and I am the Director of the Process and Procedures Task Force at The American Legislative Exchange Council. ALEC is America’s largest nonpartisan, voluntary membership organization of state legislators dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets and federalism. Comprised of nearly one quarter of the country’s state legislators, ALEC members represent more than 60 million Americans.

Based on non-partisan research and analysis, consolidating election dates has three key benefits for Kansans. First, consolidating election dates increases voter turnout. Research consistently shows that voters are less likely to participate in off-cycle, or odd-year elections. The results of these odd-year races have huge impacts on communities, yet the community is not participating. All elections are important. To accurately hear the voice of the people, we should do everything we can to ensure that Kansas citizens cast a ballot.

Second, elections are expensive to administer. It takes money to print all the documents needed, from notices, to signs, to ballots. It takes money to get and operate the equipment for Election Day. It takes money to train election officials and volunteers. It takes money to audit the process and ensure no mistakes are made. These costs do not significantly change with the length of the ballot. It is more efficient to invest in a secure election system with a few more races, than to run separate elections.

Third, consolidating elections makes them more secure. There is more time for election administrators to clean voter rolls, conduct procedural audits, and optimize processes. There is more time for the Secretary of State to work to ensure a secure and reliable system. Additionally, consolidating elections dates makes it easier to recruit poll workers, and adequate staffing of the polling places is key to ensuring a secure election.

ALEC has published two model policies and a number of articles supporting the consolidation of election days. There is an increasing amount of attention being paid to this issue, with states like North Carolina and Louisiana passing similar measures in 2025. The reason is clear. Elections are democracy’s greatest tool. Therefore, it is our duty to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat. Consolidating election dates does both.