Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has vetoed legislation altering advance mail voting procedures.
The legislation in question, Senate Bill 4, seeks to remove the three-day grace period for receiving and counting advance mail ballots. The grace period was introduced as a bipartisan solution in 2017 in response to delivery delays and mail processing by the US Postal Service.
In a news release from her office Monday, Governor Kelly stated the goal of the grace period “Was to ensure that all Kansans had their votes counted, no matter where they lived.” She went on to say “Not only will removing the three-day grace period for mail ballots disenfranchise thousands of Kansas voters, but it also shows a lack of understanding of our elections in Kansas.”
The Governor went on to call the bill “an attack on rural Kansans who want to participate in the electoral process guaranteed by our Constitution” and cited concerns of confusion for county election officers as additional reasons for her veto of the legislation.
Republican leadership in the House and Senate issued a news release in response to the Governor’s veto saying “We eagerly anticipate overriding the Governor’s misguided veto to safeguard our elections and ensure, quick, reliable outcomes. By setting a firm election-day deadline, we reaffirm Kansans’ trust in our elections.”
SB 4 passed the House of Representatives on February 27 80-39 with 76th District Representative Brad Barrett of Osage City and 13th District Representative Duane Droge voting in favor of the legislation while 60th District Representative Mark Schreiber of Emporia voted against. The bill passed the Senate March 6 30-10 with 17th District Senator Mike Argabright voting in favor.
