25-3905. Vacancies after primary election filled by party committee or district convention; governor and lieutenant governor vacancies filled by state party delegate convention; procedures required after person selected to fill vacancy. (a) When a vacancy occurs after a primary election in a party candidacy, such vacancy shall be filled by the party committee of the congressional district, county or state, as the case may be, except if the vacancy is in a party candidacy for a district office or for the office of member of the state board of education, it shall be filled by district convention held as provided in K.S.A. 25-3904, and amendments thereto, or as provided in K.S.A. 25-3904a, and amendments thereto, and except as otherwise provided in subsection (c). The meeting or convention shall be called and convened by the party committee chairperson or vice-chairperson within 10 days of receipt of the notice that the vacancy has occurred or will occur. If only one political party nominates a candidate at the primary election and thereafter a vacancy occurs in such party candidacy, any political party may fill such vacancy in the manner specified in this section.

(b) In addition to other vacancies in party candidacies to which this section applies, this section shall also apply when a vacancy occurs in an office, and it is provided by law that such vacancy shall be filled by appointment until the next general election at which time a person is to be elected to fill the unexpired term, or words of like effect, and such vacancy occurs after the primary election.

(c) When a vacancy occurs after a primary election in a party candidacy for governor or lieutenant governor, a vacancy shall thereby also occur for the other of such two offices. Such vacancies shall be filled by a state party delegate convention. The convention shall be called by the state party chairperson. The delegates to the convention shall be the state party committee members, and the officers of the convention shall be the officers of the state party committee. At such convention the vote to fill such vacancies shall be taken such that each convention vote shall be for a candidate for governor and lieutenant governor running together. If the initial vacancy that has occurred is for the office of lieutenant governor, the person who is the candidate for governor of such pair of candidates shall be the only governor candidate at such convention.

(d) After a person has been elected to fill a vacancy in a party candidacy pursuant to this section, the chairperson or vice-chairperson of the party committee shall execute a certificate, under oath, stating that such person has been duly elected to fill such vacancy and that such person has agreed to accept the nomination. The person elected to fill such vacancy shall execute a notarized written statement stating that such person agrees to accept the nomination. The chairperson or vice-chairperson shall transmit such certificate and the nominee's written statement accepting the nomination to the secretary of state or appropriate county election officer, as the case may be, within 14 days of receipt of the notice that the vacancy has occurred or will occur.

(e) For the purposes of this section, the word "shall" imposes a mandatory duty and no court may construe that word in any other way.

History: L. 1972, ch. 131, § 5; L. 1973, ch. 153, § 24; L. 1975, ch. 216, § 7; L. 1990, ch. 130, § 8; L. 2015, ch. 88, § 5; July 1.