A would-be Kansas House candidate will not appear on the ballot after her filing paperwork failed to reach the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office by the required deadline.
Amy Arteaga, a Democrat from Garden City, had intended to file as a candidate for Kansas House District 122. However, the Secretary of State’s Office said her paperwork did not arrive before the noon deadline on June 1. An objections board upheld that decision on June 12.
With Arteaga left off the ballot, incumbent Rep. Lon Pishny, R-Garden City, is unopposed in his reelection bid.
Jake Miller, an attorney representing Arteaga, argued that the paperwork should be considered delivered on time. He said the House Democratic caucus had a UPS screenshot showing the package was delivered at 10:51 a.m.
“We believe it was received by noon,” Miller said.
However, officials with the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office said the package had not been received by their office before the deadline. State Elections Director Bryan Caskey and General Counsel Clay Barker explained that, for security reasons, mail and UPS deliveries are first routed through the Kansas Highway Patrol station before being taken to the Secretary of State’s Office.
The package containing Arteaga’s filing paperwork was reportedly left on the UPS truck and was not delivered to the office in time to meet the filing deadline. As a result, election officials determined that Arteaga did not qualify to appear on the ballot.