How many Electoral College votes is Kansas sending to Donald Trump? Meet the electors
Donald Trump has secured his status as president-elect again after earning enough votes from the Electoral College. Among the states he won is Kansas, which provides him with six electoral votes.
The Electoral College has been used since the United States Constitution was signed in 1787. It’s a process by which Americans indirectly elect their president and vice president through their state’s electors. Candidates must secure 270 electoral votes, a majority of the 538 at stake, to win the White House.
Each state gets a certain number of electoral votes based on its total number of U.S. senators and representatives in Congress. In most states, whoever gets the most votes in each state takes all the electoral votes.
Who are Kansas’ electors? How are they selected to represent the state? Here’s what to know about the Electoral College.
How is the Electoral College selected in Kansas?
Kansas gets six electoral votes because it has two senators and four U.S. representatives. The representatives are made up from the four congressional districts in the state, and two at-large from anywhere in the state.
The state committee of each established party sends its list of nominees for the Electoral College to the secretary of state with a signed and notarized declaration of candidacy from each nominee, the statute says. If one of the electors doesn’t show up to vote at the state Capitol in Topeka on Tuesday, Dec. 17, the remaining electors choose someone else to fill the empty spot.
Each representative must live in the congressional district in which they were selected. The secretary of state then prepares a Certificate of Ascertainment for the people selected.
Who are the electors?
The electors could be anyone, but they are usually state and local elected officials, party leaders, community activists and others affiliated with the party, the National Archive says. They are selected “to recognize their service and dedication to that political party,” the government website says.
People who were chosen in 2024 include Tom Sawyer, a Democratic state representative, and Mike Brown, the Kansas Republican Party chairman. Other names included with the Republican party electors are:
- Kristi Brown, an Overland Park committeewoman
- Maria Holiday, the Johnson County Republican Party chairwoman
- Mark Kahrs, a Kansas Republican Party committeeman
- Cheryl Reynolds of Topeka, the vice chair of the Kansas Republican Party
- Alan Townsend, the Kansas Republican Party’s treasurer
There are no major qualifications, but members of Congress and certain other office-holders are not allowed to be in the Electoral College. Anyone who has engaged in insurrection or rebellion is also not allowed.
This story was originally published November 6, 2024 at 4:36 PM with the headline "How many Electoral College votes is Kansas sending to Donald Trump? Meet the electors."
