Kansas appeals court reinstates lawsuit over voting law
The Kansas Court of Appeals on Friday reinstated a lawsuit that challenged provisions of a voting law enacted in 2021 that opponents argue is unconstitutional and limits voting rights.
The lawsuit was filed in 2021 by Loud Light, the League of Women Voters of Kansas, the Topeka Independent Living Resource Center and the Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.
They challenged provisions of a law passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature that limit how many advance mail ballots individuals can collect and require election officials to match the signatures on an advance ballot to a person’s voter registration record.
Supporters of the law argued that restricting individuals from collecting and returning more than 10 advanced ballots per election would reduce “ballot harvesting” and limit voter fraud. Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the measure, but lawmakers overrode her veto.
The unanimous opinion Friday, written by Judge Stephen Hill, said the two provisions impair the right to vote.
“It was by free elections that we gained statehood. Thus, voting rights are preserved in the Kansas Constitution," Hill wrote. "Great care must be taken when trying to limit or infringe on those rights. Voting was important then. Voting is important now.”
https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/madison/ap-top-news/2023/03/17/kansas-appeals-court-reinstates-lawsuit-over-voting-law
