I spent the better part of a year working in Topeka, and I can safely say that in all that time I never noticed Kansas’ license plates. That’s either a testament to my lack of attention to detail, or to the unremarkable quality of the plates themselves. But a recent push to redesign those KS plates led to an unexpected show of bipartisanship from the state’s legislature and voters, as illustrated by the following. Full story is here. Excerpt is below.
Last week, Gov. Laura Kelly of Kansas revealed a new license plate design for the state’s motor vehicles. But after nearly a week of bipartisan criticism from constituents and politicians alike, she has yielded to dissent. Ms. Kelly announced on Tuesday that the new design, which was black, gold and midnight blue, would be pulled and that the state’s voters would help choose the next design.
“Elected officials should be responsive to their constituents, which is why we are adjusting the process so Kansans can provide direct input on our state’s next license plate,” she said in a statement. Ms. Kelly’s announcement was met largely with relief, as words of gratitude poured in.
The state’s tourism and revenue departments put together the proposed license plate, with input from a design firm and law enforcement, said a spokeswoman for Ms. Kelly, who had given feedback on and approved the final design. It included a wheat-yellow background with text in black and midnight blue with the phrase “to the stars” — the English translation of part of the state’s Latin motto — across the bottom.
The design was meant to remedy an issue with the current plates: They are embossed and lose about 50 percent of their reflectivity over five years, making them difficult to read, according to the Kansas Department of Revenue. But despite the practicality of the change, politicians from both parties and other Kansans were quick to express their disapproval. “Absolutely not,” State Representative Brandon Woodard wrote on X. “I didn’t like the old ones. Now I miss them already,” another user wrote….
In her announcement on Tuesday, Ms. Kelly said that Kansans would have the opportunity to vote on new designs that comply with guidelines issued by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Details on the options and the voting process will soon be made available, according to the governor’s office.
“I promised to be a bipartisan governor, and I think we can all admit — I succeeded at bringing Kansans across the political aisle together in disliking this new license plate,” Ms. Kelly said.
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For what it’s worth, the full Kansas state motto in Latin is “Ad Astra per Aspera.” In English that means “to the stars through difficulties.” Now I’m all for bipartisanship. But as to the difficulties Kansans have experienced in choosing a new plate design… probably best just to leave it with a firm “No comment.”
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On the flip side of the coin, here is my favorite State plate:
Waddaya say, plate fans? Got a favorite of your own? And no, the old PA “You’ve Got a Friend in Pennsylvania” plate which was only in effect from 1980-88 is not in the running.
