WELLINGTON — Lex Goff, a recent Wellington High School graduate, is one step closer to making Kansas political history. If elected this November, Goff would become the youngest person ever to serve in the Kansas House of Representatives and the youngest independent or unaffiliated candidate in the nation elected to a state legislature. Goff is running for the District 80 seat, which includes portions of Sumner and Cowley counties.
Last week, Goff took the next step toward that goal when the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office approved his petition for inclusion on the Nov. 3 General Election ballot.
“Being on the ballot now is such a great feeling, especially after months of campaigning and hard work by my team,” said Goff.
Under Kansas law, independent and unaffiliated candidates must collect signatures from at least 4% of registered voters in the district they seek to represent. Goff needed a minimum of 568 valid signatures to qualify, which he submitted for validation three weeks ago.
To serve in the Kansas House, a representative must be at least 18 years old. The previous youngest member of the Kansas House was elected at age 19. In U.S. history, just seven 18-year-olds have been elected to a state legislature, and all were affiliated with either the Republican or Democratic Party.
“For some people, it was the first time in their lives that they registered to vote,” shared Goff. “They registered just so they could sign my petition.”
According to Wichita State University’s IKE Lab (ike-lab.com), a project launched by two associate professors in the university’s political science department, more than 5,000 new voters registered in Kansas during June 2026. The new registrants reflected the following demographics:
• 51.4% women / 45.3% men
• Average age: 33.5
• 45.9% unaffiliated
• 28.3% Republican
• 24.4% Democrat
• 1.0% Libertarian
The IKE Lab data indicates a noticeable generational shift among Kansas voters, with younger residents making up the largest share of new registrations. It also suggests that unaffiliated voters account for an increasing share of new registrations.
Of Kansas’ almost 1.9 million registered voters, about 45% are registered as Republicans; 30% do not affiliate with a political party, and about 25% are registered as Democrats.
Goff’s campaign for state representative has focused on appealing to a broad base of local voters. He has spoken with numerous community groups, participated in candidate forums and appeared in both the Wheat Festival Parade and the recnt Sumner County Fair Parade atop a patriotic-themed float featuring costumed reenactors from American history.
