Appeals arguments begin on Kansas law requiring voters to prove citizenship

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

U.S. | Tue Aug 23, 2016 6:27am EDT

Appeals arguments begin on Kansas law requiring voters to prove citizenship

By Keith Coffman | DENVER

An effort by the state of Kansas to reinstate rules requiring people to present proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote at motor vehicle department offices is set to be heard by a federal appeals court in Denver on Tuesday.

The requirement, which left thousands of Kansans who thought they had registered while obtaining driver's licenses ineligible to vote, was struck down earlier this year by a U.S. District Court judge in Kansas City.

Kansas' law mandating that people present a birth certificate, passport or other proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote, is one of the strictest such statutes in the nation. It has made Kansas a symbol of a new wave of restrictive voting laws that supporters, mostly Republicans, say are meant to prevent voter fraud. Opponents, mostly Democrats, say they discriminate against minorities.

Last month, a federal judge in Wisconsin ruled that voters who do not have photo identification will be able to vote in the Nov. 8 presidential election, and the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a North Carolina law requiring voters to bring a photo ID to the polls.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-kansas-voterid-idUSKCN10Y0V9

[Wednesdays]

1. Seems to me there's a similar requirement in Oklahoma

https://www.ok.gov/elections/Voter_Info/Register_to_Vote/

So, the ruling could have an impact outside of Kansas.

[PJMcK]

2. Kansas Republicans suck (n/t)