Sen. Kelly Kultala, D-Kansas City, said Wednesday that a mix-up over the availability of free birth certificates shows that the state is not ready for Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s new voter ID laws. Kobach alluded to the misunderstanding in testimony before the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, of which Kultala is a member.
Kobach saidhis office understood that potential voters would be able to apply for a free birth certificate in order to get a free voter ID if they did not have other identification, starting Jan. 1, 2012 — the first day Kansas voters were required to present a photo ID under the new law.
But that was not communicated to workers in the Bureau of Vital Statistics and Department of Motor Vehicles, many of whom thought citizens would not be able to apply for a free birth certificate until the voter registration piece of Kobach’s law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2013.
Full Article: Senator says state not ready for voter ID laws | CJOnline.com.