Kansas will appeal a US Circuit Court of Appeals decision labeling the state’s voter registration requirement as unconstitutional.
Attorney General Derek Schmidt says the law in question is designed to confirm citizenship for people as they register to vote.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has said 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 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.
