Kris Kobach’s attempt to throw out thousands of votes in Tuesday’s primary election has fallen short in a Kansas court. A Shawnee County district judge ruled Friday that the votes of 17,500 people whose registrations had been questioned are to be tallied in Tuesday’s primary. Judge Larry Hendricks issued a temporary order, meaning the votes will be counted Tuesday. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit against Secretary of State Kobach on behalf of Kansas voters who were told that they could vote in federal elections but that their votes in state and local elections would not be counted. Kobach argued that by ruling against him, the state would be letting people who weren’t U.S. citizens vote in the primary.
Roughly 50,000 voters could be affected by the rule by the time of November’s general election. Every seat in the Kansas Legislature is up for election this year. Hendricks repeatedly referred to the thousands of Kansans who wouldn’t be allowed to vote in state and local races on Tuesday if the rule stood.
“That’s an overwhelming majority of U.S. Citizens that will lose their constitutionally mandated right to vote,” Hendricks said in his ruling.
Many of the voters in question registered under the federal “motor voter law.” Though they would have satisfied federal voting laws when they registered at motor vehicle license offices, they did not provide proof of citizenship like a U.S. passport or birth certificate. Under a 2013 Kansas law, a new voter had to show proof of citizenship to vote in an election.
Full Article: Kansas judge temporarily blocks Kris Kobach voting rule days before election | The Kansas City Star.