TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas House is preparing to debate Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s bill to require some potential voters to prove they’re U.S. citizens before this year’s presidential election.
The bill on the chamber’s agenda Wednesday would impose the proof-of-citizenship requirement on June 15, more than six months ahead of schedule. It would apply to people registering to vote for the first time in Kansas.
Last year, legislators enacted a proof-of-citizenship requirement along with a law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls. But that proof-of-citizenship rule doesn’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2013.
Kobach says he wants the rule in place in time for the surge of voter registration that occurs before a presidential election. Critics say the bill will suppress voter participation.
