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Kansas Constitution

Articles
Ordinance • Preamble • Bill of Rights 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15

The Kansas Constitution is the fundamental governing document of the state of Kansas.

Features

The Kansas Constitution consists of 15 articles.^[1]

It was ratified on October 4, 1859, with 10,421 votes in favor and 5,530 votes against.^[2]

Background

The current (and first) Kansas Constitution was adopted on January 29, 1861.^[3]
The Kansas Constitution was originally known as the "Wyandotte Constitution."
The current constitution has been amended 98 times.^[4]
The most recent amendment to the Kansas Constitution was approved by voters in 2019.
Kansas does not feature a process for initiated constitutional amendments. Thus, amendments in Kansas can be put on the ballot through referral by the legislature or by a constitutional convention.

Preamble

See also: Preamble, Kansas Constitution and Preambles to state constitutions

The preamble to the Kansas Constitution states:

We, the people of Kansas, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges, in order to insure the full enjoyment of our rights as American citizens, do ordain and establish this constitution of the state of Kansas, with the following boundaries, to wit: Beginning at a point on the western boundary of the state of Missouri, where the thirty-seventh parallel of north latitude crosses the same; thence running west on said parallel to the twenty-fifth meridian of longitude west from Washington; thence north on said meridian to the fortieth parallel of north latitude; thence east on said parallel to the western boundary of the state of Missouri; thence south with the western boundary of said state to the place of beginning.^[1]

Bill of Rights

See also: Bill of Rights, Kansas Constitution

The "Bill of Rights" of the Kansas Constitution comes between the Preamble and Article 1. It prescribes the rights of the citizens and sets up Kansas as a free state.^[1]^[5]

Click here to read the Bill of Rights of the Kansas Constitution.

Article One: Executive

See also: Article 1, Kansas Constitution

Article 1 of the Kansas Constitution is labeled "Executive."

Click here to read this article of the Kansas Constitution.

Article Two: Legislative

See also: Article 2, Kansas Constitution

Article 2 of the Kansas Constitution is labeled "Legislative."

Click here to read this article of the Kansas Constitution.

Article Three: Judicial

See also: Article 3, Kansas Constitution

Article 3 of the Kansas Constitution is labeled "Judicial."

Click here to read this article of the Kansas Constitution.

Article Four: Elections

See also: Article 4, Kansas Constitution

Article 4 of the Kansas Constitution is labeled "Elections."

Click here to read this article of the Kansas Constitution.

Article Five: Suffrage

See also: Article 5, Kansas Constitution

Article 5 of the Kansas Constitution is labeled "Suffrage."

Click here to read this article of the Kansas Constitution.

Article Six: Education

See also: Article 6, Kansas Constitution

Article 6 of the Kansas Constitution is labeled "Education."

Click here to read this article of the Kansas Constitution.

Article Seven: Public Institutions & Welfare

See also: Article 7, Kansas Constitution

Article 7 of the Kansas Constitution is labeled "Public Institutions and Welfare."

Click here to read this article of the Kansas Constitution.

Article Eight: Militia

See also: Article 8, Kansas Constitution

Article 8 of the Kansas Constitution is labeled "Militia."

Click here to read this article of the Kansas Constitution.

Article Nine: County & Township Organization

See also: Article 9, Kansas Constitution

Article 9 of the Kansas Constitution is labeled "County and Township Organization."

Click here to read this article of the Kansas Constitution.

Article Ten: Apportionment of the Legislature

See also: Article 10, Kansas Constitution

Article 10 of the Kansas Constitution is labeled "Apportionment of the Legislature."

Click here to read this article of the Kansas Constitution.

Article Eleven: Finance & Taxation

See also: Article 11, Kansas Constitution

Article 11 of the Kansas Constitution is labeled "Finance and Taxation."

Click here to read this article of the Kansas Constitution.

Article Twelve: Corporations

See also: Article 12, Kansas Constitution

Article 12 of the Kansas Constitution is labeled "Corporations."

Click here to read this article of the Kansas Constitution.

Article Thirteen: Banks

See also: Article 13, Kansas Constitution

Article 13 of the Kansas Constitution is labeled "Banks."

Click here to read this article of the Kansas Constitution.

Article Fourteen: Constitutional Amendment & Revision

See also: Article 14, Kansas Constitution

Article 14 of the Kansas Constitution is labeled "Constitutional Amendment and Revision." It has two sections that lay out the two paths by which the Kansas Constitution can be altered.

Click here to read this article of the Kansas Constitution.

Article Fifteen: Miscellaneous

See also: Article 15, Kansas Constitution

Article 15 of the Kansas Constitution is labeled "Miscellaneous."

Click here to read this article of the Kansas Constitution.

Amending the constitution

See also: Amending state constitutions

Kansas Constitution

Articles
Ordinance • Preamble • Bill of Rights 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15

Article 14 of the Kansas Constitution governs the ways in which the state's constitution can be changed over time.

One path is the legislatively referred constitutional amendment. Either house of the Kansas State Legislature can propose an amendment to the state's constitution. Two-thirds of the members of each chamber must approve the resolution. If they do, the proposed amendment goes on either the next statewide ballot during which members of the state legislature are elected or on a special election ballot if the legislature agrees to have a special election for this purpose.

If a simple majority of the electors of the state who vote on the proposition agree with it, it becomes part of the constitution.
The legislature must say what the measure's ballot title will be in their resolution authorizing it.
If there is more than one proposed amendment, voters must be able to vote on them separately.
At most, five amendments can be proposed for one election.
An amendment is allowed to revise one entire article of the constitution "except the article on general provisions."

Another path to amend the state constitution is through a constitutional convention. If two-thirds of the members of each house of the state legislature vote in favor, the question "Shall there be a convention to amend or revise the constitution of the state of Kansas?" or "Shall there be a convention limited to revision of article(s) ________ of the constitution of the state of Kansas?" shall be placed on a statewide ballot.

If a simple majority of those voting on that question say "yes," a convention is held.
Any amendments or revisions that come out of the convention must go before the state's voters.

Kansas does not feature the power of citizen initiative for either initiated constitutional amendments or initiated state statutes.

History

The Kansas Constitution was originally known as the "Wyandotte Constitution." It was the fourth constitution voted on by the people of the Kansas Territory as settlers and the federal government battled over whether or not the state would allow slavery. This final constitution established Kansas as a free state.^[2]

The Wyandotte Constitution was approved in an October 4, 1859 referendum by a vote of 10,421 to 5,530. In April 1860, the United States House of Representatives voted to admit Kansas as a state under the Wyandotte Constitution despite resistance from the United States Senate. On January 21, 1861, with Confederate states seceding from the Union and their senate seats left vacant, the remaining senators passed the Kansas bill admitting the state into the Union.^[2]

Although amended several times, the Wyandotte constitution stands as the current constitution of Kansas.^[2]

See also

State Constitutions Ballotpedia.png

External links

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Footnotes

v • e Kansas Constitution

	Kansas Constitution • Bill of Rights • Article 1 • Article 2 • Article 3 • Article 4 • Article 5 • Article 6 • Article 7 • Article 8 • Article 9 • Article 10 • Article 11 • Article 12 • Article 13 • Article 14 • Article 15

v • e State constitutions of the United States

Federal	United States Constitution

State constitutions	Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

U.S. Territories	American Samoa • Guam • Northern Mariana Islands • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands

Changing constitutions	Amending state constitutions • Constitutional amendment • Constitutional revision • Constitutional convention • Legislatively-referred constitutional amendment • Initiated constitutional amendment • Preambles to state constitutions • Publication requirements • Rules about constitutional conventions • Number of state constitutional amendments in each state

	v • e State of Kansas Topeka (capital)
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