TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today shared how Kansans will be able to weigh in on the next State of Kansas license plate. Starting today, Kansans can go to KSPlates.kansas.gov to vote for their favorite plate among five designs created by Mammoth Creative Co., a Kansas-based marketing firm, in partnership with Kansas Tourism. Voting will end at 5 p.m. on Friday, December 15.
“Kansans have offered their thoughts on our state’s next license plate through social media and elsewhere, even sending potential designs to my office. Many of these designs were beautiful, but we’re moving forward with this voting process to ensure law enforcement can easily read the selected license plate and to get safer plates on the streets as soon as possible,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “I encourage Kansans to make their voices heard and am looking forward to announcing the winner next week.”
The five options, while continuing to align with Kansas Tourism’s “To the Stars” branding and the already announced guidelines, incorporate previous public feedback such as a lighter blue on the original proposal, a State of Kansas outline, wheat, and sunflowers. The plate proposals were also chosen because they prioritize public safety. Clear, simple designs enable law enforcement officers and traffic systems to quickly and easily read the license plate number.
“It is critical that Kansans be able to quickly identify a vehicle by its license plate – whether that be when reporting erratic driving behaviors, crashes, or Amber Alerts to law enforcement,” Captain Candice Breshears, Kansas Highway Patrol, said. “Every second counts in an emergency, which is why we appreciate that the backgrounds of these license plates do not interfere with the plate combinations.”
“Legible and high-contrast license plates are important for the Kansas Turnpike and for Kansans when they drive on other toll roads,” Steve Hewitt, CEO of the Kansas Turnpike Authority, said. “Having clear State of Kansas license plates will be crucial in keeping tolls low as we transition to cashless tolling in mid-2024.”
Kansans can vote on their favorite design as many times as they would like until voting closes on Friday. Votes will gauge support for a specific design, though minor aspects of the winning design may change to ensure compliance with production protocols. The selected plate will be announced on Monday, December 18, 2023.
The State of Kansas incurred no additional costs for designing the new license plate options or the voting website; both were covered by existing contracts with Kansas-based firms. The timeline for distributing the new plates will be altered due to the preproduction processes needing to be performed after the new design is selected.
In the meantime, with the help of county treasurer offices, the Kansas Department of Revenue will continue its license plate modernization project as originally scheduled, transitioning embossed plates to the digitally produced license plate process introduced in 2018. The delay of the new design does not halt this process; all plates will continue to be printed with the current design until the new one is selected and printing systems adjusted.
