Welcome to the Wednesday, October 5, Brew.
By: David Luchs
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Ballotpedia needs you! Join the Ballotpedia Society to promote our mission of free access to unbiased election information
- President Joe Biden’s approval rating rises to 43% in September, highest since January
- Kansas has only gubernatorial election with a Democratic incumbent running in a state that Donald Trump (R) won in 2020
Ballotpedia needs you! Join the Ballotpedia Society to promote our mission of free access to unbiased election information
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President Joe Biden’s approval rating rises to 43% in September, highest since January
Approval polls show President Joe Biden (D) at an average 43% approval at the end of September, the highest rating he’s received since January. Fifty-three percent of voters disapprove of his performance.
Biden last had a 43% approval rating on Jan. 12, 2022. The lowest approval rating he’s received was 38% on July 27, 2022. Biden’s highest approval rating was 55% on May 26, 2021.
Congress was at 28% approval and 61% disapproval at the end of September. The highest approval rating Congress has received during Biden’s term was 36% on July 16, 2021, and the lowest approval rating was 14% on Jan. 26, 2022.
At the end of September 2018, during the Trump administration, presidential approval was three percentage points lower at 40%, and congressional approval was nine percentage points lower at 17%.
Ballotpedia’s polling index takes the average of polls conducted over the last 30 days to calculate presidential and congressional approval ratings. We average the results and show all polling results side-by-side because we believe that paints a clearer picture of public opinion than any individual poll can provide. The data is updated daily as new polling results are published.
Kansas has only gubernatorial election with a Democratic incumbent running in a state that Donald Trump (R) won in 2020
Today is the 27th day of our 50 States in 50 days series, and we’re featuring Kansas, the Sunflower State.
Week One: Pennsylvania, Indiana, South Dakota, Nebraska, North Dakota
Week Two: California, Georgia, Texas, Montana
Week Three: North Carolina, Virginia, New Mexico, Illinois, Idaho
Week Four: Kentucky, Michigan, Arkansas, Minnesota, West Virginia
Week Five: Vermont, Nevada, Wyoming, Arizona, Ohio
Week Six: South Carolina, Iowa
On the ballot in Kansas
Kansas will hold elections for one U.S. Senate seat and four U.S. House seats in 2022. Incumbent Senator Jerry Moran (R) is seeking re-election, along with three Republican incumbents and one Democratic incumbent in the House.
Voters will have several state executive elections on their ballot this year, including elections for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, and insurance commissioner. Five of the 10 seats on the Kansas State Board of Education will also be up for election this year.
All 125 seats in the Kansas House of Representatives are up for election. Twenty-three of those seats are open. Kansas state senators are elected to four-year terms, so all 40 seats in that chamber will be up for election in 2024.
Six of the seven justices on the Kansas Supreme Court are up for retention elections this year. A retention election is a type of election where voters are asked whether an incumbent judge should remain in office for another term. The judge, who does not face an opponent, is removed if a majority of voters decide against retention.
Redistricting highlights
Kansas was apportioned four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2020 census, the same as it had after the 2010 census.
Congressional and state legislative elections will take place under new district lines following the census. Our side-by-side map comparison tool allows you to immediately see what redistricting looks like in your state. Here are the congressional maps in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle in Kansas:
To use our tool to view Kansas’ state legislative maps in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle, visit our Kansas redistricting page.
Partisan balance
Both of Kansas’ U.S. Senators are Republicans. Three of Kansas’ representatives in the U.S. House are Republicans, and one is a Democrat.
The Kansas Senate is made up of 11 Democrats and 29 Republicans. The Kansas House of Representatives is made up of 38 Democrats and 86 Republicans, with one vacancy. Kansas is one of 13 states with a divided government. Kansas’ trifecta status last changed in 2019, when Governor Laura Kelly (D) assumed office. The state was a Republican trifecta before Kelly’s election.
Kansas has a Republican attorney general and secretary of state, meaning the state’s triplex status is also divided.
Seats contested by only one major party
In 2022, 65 state legislative seats in Kansas, or 52% of all seats up for election, do not have major party competition. When a candidate from only one of either the Democratic or Republican parties runs in a state legislative district, that party is all but guaranteed to win.
Democrats are running in 63% of all state legislative races. Forty-six state legislative districts (37% of the total) do not have a Democratic candidate, meaning a Republican is likely to win.
Republicans are running in 85% of all state legislative races. Nineteen districts (15% of the total) do not feature a Republican candidate, meaning a Democrat is likely to win.
Key races
- Kansas gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022: One-term incumbent Laura Kelly (D) is running for re-election against Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt (R) and two other candidates. This is the only governorship Democrats are defending in 2022 in a state that Donald Trump (R) won in 2020.
- Kansas’ 3rd Congressional District election, 2022: Incumbent Rep. Sharice Davids (D), Amanda Adkins (R), and Steve Hohe (L) are running. This is a rematch of the 2020 general election when Davids defeated Adkins 53.6% to 43.6%. The Cook Political Report’s PVI (Partisan Voter Index) for the old district was D+2, while the score for the redrawn district is R+1.
- Kansas Treasurer election, 2022: Incumbent Lynn Rogers (D), Steven C. Johnson (R), and Steve Roberts (L) are running. Kelly appointed Rogers to the office in 2020 after former incumbent Jacob LaTurner (R) resigned to serve in the U.S. House.
Ballot measures
Kansas voters will decide two statewide measures on Nov. 8:
- Legislative Veto or Suspension of Executive Agency Regulations Amendment: This measure would authorize the Legislature to revoke or suspend an executive agency’s rules and regulations by a simple majority vote.
- County Sheriff Election and Recall Amendment: This measure would require the election of county sheriffs in counties that had not abolished the office as of January 2022 and provide that sheriffs may be recalled from office.
Kansas voters decided one statewide measure on August 2, 2022: the No State Constitutional Right to Abortion and Legislative Power to Regulate Abortion Amendment, which would have amended the Kansas Constitution to state that there is no right to an abortion or public abortion funding. The measure was defeated 59% to 41%.
Twenty ballot measures appeared on statewide ballots between 1985 and 2020. Fifteen ballot measures were approved, and five ballot measures were defeated.
Voting
- On Election Day, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central Time. If the polls close while a voter is in line, he or she will still be permitted to vote.
- Kansas requires voters to present photo identification while voting. Forms of accepted ID include a driver’s license, a concealed carry of handgun license, a passport, or a United States military identification document, among others. For a full list of accepted voter IDs in Kansas, click here.
- Early voting is available to all voters. It begins on Oct. 19 and ends on Nov. 7.
- Kansas’ voter registration deadline is Oct. 18 for in-person, by-mail, and online registration. Kansas does not allow same-day voter registration.
- All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Kansas. Kansas refers to absentee voting as “advance voting.” An absentee ballot application must be received by Nov. 1. Absentee ballots can be returned in-person by the time polls close on election day. If returned by mail, the ballot must be postmarked by Nov. 8. To check the status of your ballot, click here.
Want to learn more about the elections you’ll be voting in this year? Click here to use our Sample Ballot Lookup tool!