A man from Hutchinson is trying to enter his dog into the race for Kansas governor, but the Secretary of State’s office said he’s barking up the wrong tree.
The Hutchinson News reportsthat Terran Woolley set up a campaign committee for his dog, Angus. He saw several teens were candidates and thought, "why not a dog?"
Bryan Caskey, with the Secretary of State’s office, said Kansas law does say the governor is a person. Caskey said the office would not accept a candidacy filing for a dog.
“I appreciate the political discourse, but I’m hopeful that everyone will concentrate on the very real issues at hand across the state,” Caskey said. “There are things that are important to this state and hope we all treat it with the seriousness it deserves.”
The teenagers running for governor have prompted a discussion in Kansas about tightening requirements to run for office.
Republican Sen. Elaine Bowers, who chairs the Senate’s Election Committee, would like to see a minimum age limit of 18. She said she appreciates the enthusiasm of the teenage candidates, but would like people to get more life experience before running for office.
Bowers said when it comes to dogs running for office, she believes Kansas law is clear enough and doesn’t need to be amended to specifically bar animals.
“It costs over $7,000 to work a bill all the way through the system. To me, that’s not very cost effective,” Bowers said.
--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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