A decade ago, Kansas implemented a proof-of-citizenship law that blocked thousands of eligible voters. Now, as the debate over voter ID resurfaces nationally, Kansas Republicans are wary of revisiting the issue.
Steven Fish, of Garnett, Kan., stands outside a driver’s license office like one in the same strip mall where in 2014 he went to register to vote, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, in Lawrence, Kan. Fish was unable to register in 2014 because he didn’t have an acceptable copy of his birth certificate to comply with a proof-of-citizenship law that was later struck down by the federal courts.
The debate over voter ID laws and proof of citizenship is heating up in the new Congress requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Yet there’s one place with a GOP supermajority where linking voting to citizenship appears to be a nonstarter: Kansas. That’s because the state has been there, done that, and all but a few Republicans would prefer not to go there again. Kansas imposed a proof-of-citizenship requirement over a decade ago that grew into one of the biggest political fiascos in the state in recent memory. The law, passed by the state Legislature in 2011 and implemented two years later, ended up blocking the voter registrations of more than 31,000 U.S. citizens who were otherwise eligible to vote. That was 12% of everyone seeking to register in Kansas for the first time. Federal courts ultimately declared the law an unconstitutional burden on voting rights, and it hasn’t been enforcedrisks disenfranchising a far greater number of people who are legally entitled to vote. The state’s top elections official, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, championed the idea as a legislator and now says states and the federal government shouldn’t touch it.Steven Fish, a 45-year-old warehouse worker in eastern Kansas, said he understands the motivation behind the law. In his thinking, the state was like a store owner who fears getting robbed and installs locks. But in 2014, after the birth of his now 11-year-old son inspired him to be “a little more responsible” and follow politics, he didn’t have an acceptable copy of his birth certificate to get registered to vote in Kansa
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