Kansas picks new license plate after work halted on earlier design

Kansans picked their new license plate design Monday after a weeklong statewide vote resulted in a landslide victory for a blue and yellow scheme. 

The new plate comes after the previous proposal, plain gold with dark navy accents reminiscent of New York’s plates, was thoroughly rejected by the public. That design was lambasted as uninspired, cribbing from the Empire State and taking colors after the Kansas rival University of Missouri.

Gov. Laura Kelly (D) threw out the design amid the criticism and threats from the state Legislature to override the selection, leading to the public vote last week.

The vote’s winning design garnered 53 percent support from a slate of five options. More than 230,000 Kansans cast votes in the contest.

The new plate features a gold-to-blue sunset fade with a silhouette of the Statehouse and a shortened form of the Kansas motto: “To the stars.”

It’s a change from the 2007 plate, a plain powder blue-colored background with a white state seal akin to the popular Kansas City Royals jerseys. It was prone to fading, making it hard to read for law enforcement, according to the state Department of Revenue.

The new design will roll out starting in March, and Kansans must pay a $45 custom plate fee to avoid the new look.