WICHITA — A federal appeals court says Kansas cannot prevent thousands of eligible voters from casting ballots in the November federal election because they didn’t prove their U.S. citizenship when registering to vote at motor vehicle offices.
Friday’s ruling from the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily upholds a federal judge’s order that required Kansas to allow those individuals to vote. The state has said up to 50,000 people could be affected. The court agreed to quickly hear the appeal.
U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson ruled earlier this year that enforcement of Kansas’ proof-of-citizenship law had disenfranchised more than 18,000 otherwise eligible voters. She ordered the state to comply with her ruling by June 14.
Four states have such laws, but Kansas is the only state that fully enforces it.
