Federal Appeals Court Orders Kansas to Register Thousands of Voters Blocked From Doing So

DENVER — A federal appeals court tonight ordered Kansas to register thousands of eligible voters who have been blocked from doing so. The state must begin registering them effective Tuesday, June 14.

The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling stems from an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit filed on behalf of Kansans who have tried to register to vote through the Kansas Department of Motor Vehicles and have illegally been forced to provide additional documentation of citizenship. Thousands of people have been blocked from registering because of this bureaucratic hurdle.

Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, responded to tonight’s ruling:

“This ruling lifts the barrier that the state illegally imposed on Kansans who were trying to register to vote. It means that on Tuesday, Secretary Kobach will finally have to register more than 18,000 Kansans who have been illegally blocked from doing so.”

The ACLU is representing the League of Women Voters of Kansas and individual plaintiffs. Co-counsel are the ACLU of Kansas and Dechert LLP.

More information about this case is at: https://www.aclu.org/cases/fish-v-kobach