Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has complied with a judge’s order by fully registering thousands of voters whose eligibility to cast a ballot had been in limbo because of the state’s now-defunct proof-of-citizenship requirement, according to court records. Some 25,000 Kansans will have their voting status solidified ahead of the Aug. 7 primary as a result of the move. Kobach is seeking the Republican nomination for governor in that election, challenging incumbent Jeff Colyer. According to a report the parties in the case jointly filed Sunday, Kobach told U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson that there are no longer any Kansas registrations in suspense or canceled for lack of citizenship documents. He informed Robinson that he is in full compliance with her order that all registrants receive the same information from county election offices and vote using the same poll books.
Robinson ruled last month that Kansas cannot require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, finding such laws are unconstitutional. The decision struck down the Kansas proof-of-citizenship registration law and made permanent an earlier injunction that had temporarily blocked it.
In her ruling, Robinson cited Kobach’s “well-documented history” of avoiding the court’s orders, noting an earlier opinion finding him in contempt. Her permanent injunction spelled out specific compliance measures he was ordered to follow to implement the decision, such as ensuring all voter notices and websites in all languages make clear voter registration applicants do not need to provide citizenship documents.