Is 90 days enough time to comply with proof-of-citizenship voter registration requirements? In Kansas, at least 31,000 presumably qualified electors who have attempted to complete applications to register to vote will see their applications deleted under new administrative regulations in the state. Most of these applicants failed to submit proof of their U.S. citizenship, to a county election official satisfactory which is required by the 2011 Kansas Safe and Fair Elections Act (“S.A.F.E. Act”). Such suspended voters are generally unable to cast ballots in local, state, or federal elections; however, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Arizona v. Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., under the National Voter Registration Act (“NVRA”), any Kansan who applies to register to vote using the federal voter registration form is allowed to vote in federal elections, even if he or she does not include proof-of-citizenship. In order to be removed from the list of suspended voters and be added to the state’s voter rolls, applicants must provide proof-of-citizenship to their local county election official. Under the previous system, county election officials worked feverishly to contact all applicants on the suspended list repeatedly in order to help them complete the proof-of-citizenship requirement. Some argue these unending attempts to encourage applicants to comply with registration requirements were too onerous.
On September 17, 2015, following a period of public comment, Kansas Secretary of State and noted voter proof-of-citizenship proponent Kris W. Kobach promulgated a new administrative rule to address this issue. K.A.R. § 7-23-15 requires county-level election officers to delete the applications of voters who attempted to register to vote using the state form but failed to complete the state’s voter registration requirements within 90 days of submitting an application. Under this new rule, an applicant’s failure to supply proper proof-of-citizenship as required by the state’s 2011 S.A.F.E. Act, as well as overlooking any other requirement, serve as grounds for deleting a voter registration application.
Full Article: In Kansas, 90 Days to Prove Citizenship |.