The State Rules and Regulations Board on Tuesday, July 12, 2016, approved a temporary rule requiring county election officials to throw out thousands of votes cast in state and local races by people who have registered without providing proof of their US citizenship.
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A Kansas board has approved a temporary rule requiring county election officials to throw out thousands of votes cast in state and local races by people who have registered without providing proof of their USA citizenship. That means this committee will decide the rules for the upcoming August 2 primary and the November general election.
The federal lawsuit over the state’s proof of citizenship requirement, which requires prospective voters to submit a birth certificate or other documents in order to register, is still pending.
In Kansas, temporary rules can be adopted without public comment for 120 days of implementation with another 120-day renewal option. He has also appealed Judge Robinson’s decision to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has scheduled a hearing in late August, after the primaries.
– A state board on Tuesday approved a temporary regulation that will limit the voting rights of an estimated 17,000 Kansans, saying they can only cast ballots in federal races, not in state or local elections. Those voters would be given a provisional ballot.
“This is the only logical and reasonable way to go forward in the present circumstance”, said Bryan Brown, an attorney for the secretary of state’s office, representing Kobach on the five-member board. Any votes for federal races would be counted, but their votes could be tossed out in local and statewide races.
A federal judge ordered Kobach in May to register about 18,000 voters who registered at DMV offices but did not provide proof of citizenship, as required by state law.
Critics of proof-of-citizenship requirements say the rules suppress voter turnout – particularly among young and minority voters – far more than they combat fraud.
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“It just stinks. This is not how democracy works, and something as important as voting should not be taken care of in this backroom manner”, said state Rep. Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat.
