After several teenagers -- some not even from the state -- decided to run for Kansas governor, members of the House voted Tuesday to tighten requirements to run for statewide office.
Candidates would have to be at least 18 years old and live in Kansas. Lawmakers debated whether to apply the rules to the 2018 election, but decided against that approach.
Republican Rep. Tom Cox says it sets a dangerous precedent to change the rules part way through an election cycle.
“Anything that would remove someone from a ballot is, in my opinion, one of the most undemocratic things we can do," Cox says. "I think that we need to protect the rules and the institutions.”
Supporters of tightening the rules say some of the teenage candidates seem to be running as a stunt. They say young people can find other ways to get into politics until they reach voting age.
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Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio, a partner in the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @KPRKoranda.
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