Thread: Two-thirds of Kansas voter registrations on hold (hold no birth certificat)

Written by James Ryan Roberts Tuesday, 26 April 2016 18:27

Kansas is one of four states, along with Georgia, Alabama and Arizona, that require voters to provide documented proof of citizenship before they are registered to vote.

"What Kansas has done is a violation of federal law. They're not allowed to ask for that sort of additional documentation," said Micah Kubic, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas.

That is what the ACLU is saying in a federal lawsuit filed in February. Kubic claims Kansas' "proof of citizenship" requirement for voter registration leaves tens of thousands of eligible voters deserted.

"They are disenfranchised as a result of not having a birth certificate or a passport and there are any number of reasons why eligible Kansas citizens wouldn't be able to come up with a birth certificate," said Kubic.

Through documents provided by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and county election boards, Kubic says, the ACLU determined that only a third of voters registered between February 1st and February 21st were accepted. Of the over 14,000 that were denied, nearly two-thirds were young, first time voters.

"Their birth certificates are not with them. They don't carry them around. They're maybe in a plastic tupperware container in their parent's basement somewhere," said Kubic.

Kobach, on the other hand, says the ACLU's use of the two-thirds statistic is misleading. While he acknowledges two-thirds of voters registered during that time may have been put on hold, Kobach says it's only temporary.

"The more relevant number is 94. 94 percent of people who complete the voter registration process are confirmed. For most the suspended list is only temporary. They find their birth certificate and they send it in," said Kobach.

Regardless, the ACLU recently requested an injunction against the state until the court delivers a ruling; an action that would allow those thousands of voter registrations to go through. Regardless of the outcome, Kubic says the voters of Kansas deserve clarity, especially before they're expected to vote later this year.

"We, of course, are very confident about our case, but there just needs to be some level of certainty for the tens of thousands of people who are involved," said Kubic.

Kubic says they doesn't expect the issue to be fully resolved anytime soon, adding that, even if the court rules in their favor, Kobach has the ability to appeal to a higher court.

Channel 6 Lawrence, KS - A Division of WOW

We need a National ID for voting, taxpayer benefits, etc. Hopefully up and running by the next election.