A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to register about 18,000 rejected voters who filed applications at Department of Motor Vehicles offices but didn’t provide the proof of citizenship Kansas law requires. Kobach said he’ll file an emergency appeal to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. Judge Julie Robinson ruled the Kansas proof-of-citizenship law conflicts with the federal motor-voter act, which was passed by Congress to make it easier to vote by requiring motor-vehicle offices to also offer voting registration. Robinson approved a preliminary injunction requiring Kobach to register prospective voters who were rejected since 2013 because they didn’t file documents proving their citizenship. They could vote in federal elections – U.S. House, Senate and the presidency – in this election cycle. The case centers on a Kansas law Kobach authored that requires applicants to provide documented citizenship proof. For most voters, that means either a passport or birth certificate – along with proof of marriage- and divorce-related name changes for women.
The requirement is separate from and requires a higher level of proof than the state’s photo-identification law, which requires voters to produce a driver’s license or other government-issued ID to cast a ballot at the polls.
The injunction will go into effect at midnight on May 31, giving Kobach about two weeks to file his appeal. He said he expects to win because Robinson’s ruling would create a “magic path” to registration at the DMV, while those who sought to register by mail or at their election office would still be denied.
Full Article: Judge rules Kobach must register 18,000 suspended Kansas voters | The Wichita Eagle.