TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach says he’ll ask legislators to modify his bill to require new voters to prove their U.S. citizenship ahead of this year’s presidential election.
Kobach said Wednesday the changes will address concerns caused by a delay in a major state computer upgrade.
A proof-of-citizenship rule is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2013, but Kobach wants to move that forward to June 15. The rule applies to people registering for the first time in Kansas.
But a Senate committee learned Wednesday that a key phase of a $40 million upgrade of state computers handling driver’s license records won’t be ready until August.
Senators want to be sure that information from driver’s license records proving citizenship can be transferred to election officials.
