The state’s voter registration requirement is unconstitutional, according to the 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals.
The judges say the Kansas law violates the National Voter Registration Act, saying the burden imposed on voters by forcing documented proof of citizenship before registering to vote isn’t justified by the “slight” evidence of voter fraud. The judges also say the system Kansas uses now is cumbersome and adds to the burden for voters.
The legal issues developed under former secretary of state and current US Senate candidate Kris Kobach. Two years ago, a judge issued a permanent injunction against state law that demanded documented proof of citizenship. The ruling said the Kansas voter law at that time prevented around 30,000 people from voting. It also said less than 70 noncitizens either registered or tried to register in Kansas over the last 19 years.
The law has been in place since 2013. Governor Laura Kelly says the current system should be scrapped and the state should drop its appeal. That decision is up to current Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who says he will discuss the ruling with Attorney General Derek Schmidt. Kobach, meanwhile, says the ruling is “clearly incorrect” and represents “the essence of judicial activism.” He wants the state to appeal the ruling.
