Scott Schwab

Scott Schwab sent six contests decided by 1% or less to audits under section 25-3009 of the Kansas Statutes on 4 November: governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and state House Districts 27, 40 and 117. Under the Kansas statute, county boards hand-count a 10% sample of precincts in each race and set the result against the machine count. Johnson County alone got through about 125,000 ballots on 9 November, and the deadline for all counties is 16 November. The audits swept in all three statewide posts that administer, certify and defend Kansas election law.

Schwab, a Republican and former Kansas House member, has been Kansas Secretary of State since January 2019, and his office runs the state's elections. He ran for governor in 2026 and lost the August Republican primary to Ty Masterson. In 2025 he named Connie Schmidt interim Johnson County election commissioner, and he made the post permanent in September 2026.

Donald Trump's 9 November claim that the midterms were all about the machines met hand counts already under way. The audits also bear on the governor's race, where Masterson has not conceded to Cindy Holscher.