A special mail-in election to determine whether or not to repeal the pit bull dog ban in Salina is a little less than a month away.

Saline County Clerk Jamie Doss tells KSAL News all registered voters who live within the incorporated city limits of Salina are eligible to participate.

The deadline to register to vote is February 3rd. Ballots will go out in the mail following day, February 4th.

According to Dosss, anyone registered to vote prior to January 26th will automatically be sent a ballot. Anyone who registers between January 27th and February 3rd must request a ballot to be sent to them.

Doss says it should take 3 – 5 days for the ballots to arrive once they are sent. If after about 5 days a ballot has not been received a replacement can be requested.

Once ballots are sent, voters can check the status of theirs on the Kansas Secretary of State’s Voter View Website . 

There is one question on the ballot, asking if the pit bull ordinance should be repealed. A “yes” vote is to repeal the current ordinance thus making pit bulls legal, a “no” vote is to not change the ordinance and keep the breed ban in place.

The pit bull ban in Salina was enacted by the Salina City Commission back in 2004. Prior to the law being passed there were 24 pit bull bite incidents in a two year span, between 2003 – 2004, including a child who suffered severe facial injuries after being mauled.

In December of 2019 the issue was revisited again. At that time Salina City Commissioners voted 3 – 2 to not overturn the breed specific ordinance which makes the dog illegal to have within city limits.

On October 27, 2025, a petition to repeal the pit bull dog ban in Salina was presented to the Salina City Manager’s Office. A couple of weeks later the Saline County Election Officer validated the petition.

Once the petition was validated, the Salina City Commission had two options, to vote to repeal the ordinance themselves, or to let citizens decide the issue via a special election. They opted for the special election.

Deadline for ballots to be returned is February 24th at noon. Ballots can mailed, dropped off at the Saline County Clerk’s Office, or deposited in the secure drop box outside the Salina City County Building. No late ballots will be accepted.