Kansas
Ballot Security
What Politicians Say
Nonprofits that run voter registration drives say a 2021 law made their job all but impossible in Kansas.
The law makes it a felony to impersonate an elections official, but voters groups say that the legal standard is overly broad and vague enough that volunteers trying to register voters could get charged.
The law also bars out-of-state groups from sending mail ballot applications or pre-filling any part of the application for a voter.
In response, several nonprofits suspended voter registration drives in Kansas. Two groups,
VoteAmerica and the Voter Participation Center, sued in federal court, arguing that the law makes it impossible for them to send personalized mail ballot applications using an online tool.
In 2022, a federal judge permanently blocked parts of the law from being enforced, saying it violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The state agreed not to appeal the case.
Ease of Voting
The state legislature barred state elected officials and judges from altering any election laws, a complaint among some state lawmakers after deadlines were extended and other rules loosened during the coronavirus pandemic.
State elections officials are also barred from agreeing to make any changes in order to settle a lawsuit, which would typically be from a voting rights group seeking to expand access.
Ballot Security
The 2021 law also sought to bar what critics call ballot harvesting by making it a felony to hand in more than 10 mail ballots.
The law also requires that anyone returning a ballot provide a sworn statement from the voter.
Other new laws require local elections administrators to compare the signature on a mail ballot envelope with one on file and attempt to contact voters so that they fix it if a ballot is rejected.
How Politicians Responded to the 2020 Election
Attorney General Derek Schmidt supported a Texas lawsuit asking the Supreme Court to intervene in the election.
While still a member of the US House, US Senator Roger Marshall signed an amicus brief supporting the Texas lawsuit. As a senator, he objected to the certification of Biden electors from Arizona and Pennsylvania.
All three of Kansas’ Republican US representatives objected to Arizona’s presidential electors, and two objected to Pennsylvania’s as well. One also signed the amicus brief.