BY: ANNA KAMINSKI
Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — Secretary of State Scott Schwab spotlighted his 2025 legislative agenda fewer than 24 hours before announcing a bid for Kansas governor, with proposals to update old laws and systems and add new election laws, including one making it a crime to threaten election workers.
He announced Tuesday potential initiatives focused on modernization ahead of the legislative session, which begins Jan. 13, targeting state agencies, consumers, scammers and election interferers.
Schwab, a Republican, was first elected as secretary of state in 2018, leading Kansans through tumultuous years of election denialism and claims of fraud. His announcement Wednesday declaring his run for governor continues Schwab’s roughly two-decade career in Kansas politics. It was also the first foray from any Kansas candidate into the 2026 primary election cycle.
In the wake of the 2024 election, which Schwab said ran smoothly, he is pursuing legislation in 2025 that shifts control of ballot drop boxes from counties to his office. He also wants to make it a crime to “threaten or interfere with election workers” while they are performing official duties.
Cille King, an advocacy chair for the League of Women Voters of Kansas, said drop boxes are vital, noting the league’s support for Schwab’s proposals.
“Additional regulations so that all drop boxes adhere to security standards would enhance their use and credibility,” she said.
King added: “Threats to election workers are a threat to our ability to hold safe and secure elections.”
Out with the old
As a way to streamline the secretary of state’s office’s responsibilities, Schwab wants to eliminate more than a dozen “unnecessary customer filings” embedded in state law and are duplicative or outdated while reducing fees for consumers.
Continuing work begun in 2024, Schwab said he intends to update the regulation and rulemaking processes for state agencies, which have used paper-based systems since around 1965.
“A paper-based system lacks transparency for Kansans who are affected by, and often bear the cost of, state government regulations,” Schwab said in a Tuesday news release. “The current process is outdated, has many flaws, increases the potential for human error, and is inefficient.”
He also seeks to challenge third parties that offer services to Kansas businesses, which he said the Secretary of State’s Office can provide at a lower cost. Schwab’s proposed legislation would mandate those third parties direct businesses to the office’s lower-cost options.