KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly described an ongoing effort by some Kansas Republicans to call a special session to consider redrawing the state’s congressional maps “political theater.”
In a statement Friday afternoon, Kelly singled out Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach.
Last week, Kobach reached out to Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson (R-District 16) to request a special session.
That prompted Masterson to send a letter to his Republican colleagues, urging them to coalesce around the need for a special session to review Senate Bill 180, legislation passed by the GOP-controlled statehouse that prohibited transgender individuals from changing their sex on Kansas driver’s licenses and birth certificates.
LINK | Read Masterson's letter
Earlier this year, a Kansas appeals court ruled the law was unconstitutional. Kobach appealed the ruling to the Kansas Supreme Court, which announced this week it refused to take up the case.
“Attorney General Kobach would like the legislature, in special session, to add a few words to SB 180 that will prevent the courts from thwarting the will of the Legislature and thereby prevent a flood of individuals seeking to change their driver’s license,” Masterson wrote in his Oct. 1 letter to the Senate Republican Caucus.
The governor and Democrats believe the call for a special session is more about attempting to convene legislators in an attempt to redraw the state’s congressional districts.
“Republican legislative leaders’ efforts to call a special session for mid-decade redistricting have so far proven to be unpopular,” Kelly said in her Friday statement. “Now, Attorney General Kobach is manufacturing false urgency to apply pressure to legislators who have not committed to supporting a special session for redistricting purposes.”
Kelly said the issue surrounding SB 180 could be “easily addressed” when the legislature returns for its 2026 Legislative Session in January.
“This is simply more political theater,” Kelly said.
Kelly’s position was echoed by Kansas Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes, who called urgent efforts to change SB 180 “highly suspicious.”
“It’s as though the idea of mid-decade redistricting isn’t generating enough momentum amongst the people of Kansas — because Kansans aren’t asking for a new map — so Republicans needed to return to a divisive social issue they know will drum up outrage.”
In a statement provided to KSHB 41 News on Saturday, Oct. 4, Masterson said Kobach's letter "raises serious and timely concerns that a special session needs to address."
"We can't allow a narrow radical ideology the ability to alter basic concrete facts on documents with vital statistics," Masterson said. "Should a special session be called, we can certainly handle both issues."
Chatter to take up congressional redistricting in Kansas comes on the heels of a similar effort across state lines in Missouri.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed HB 1 last Sunday, which redrew the state’s maps with a focus on splitting up portions of congressional districts in the Kansas City area.
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