TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Kansas Senate committee is preparing to review a proposal to require some potential voters to prove their citizenship starting in June, ahead of this year’s presidential election.
The Ethics and Elections Committee has scheduled a review next Thursday of a bill containing the proposal from Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
A law passed last year requires people registering to vote in Kansas for the first time to prove their U.S. citizenship, beginning in January 2013.
Kobach wants to move the effective date up to June 15. He argues the rule will deter election fraud and should be in place as soon as possible. Critics say the rule will suppress voter turnout.
