Kansas Voter ID Bill Fails

by Jonah Goldman

The Kansas House blocked what would have been the nation’s most restrictive voter identification and proof of citizenship requirement by a narrow margin of two votes.  The Senate had voted to pass the bill 28-12 in February. The proposal required citizens in Kansas to prove their citizenship with either a birth certificate or passport to register to vote. This bill would have made Kansas the second state to require proof of citizenship.

The bill also contained a provision requiring voters under age 65 to show photo identification to cast a ballot. Present state law requires people voting for the first time in a county must provide identification when they register or before they cast their initial ballot. Seven other states currently request or require photo identification in order to vote. Currently, only Arizona requires proof of citizenship, but many states are considering adding the requirement this year.

Read the bill here.

Read more about voter identification and proof of citizenship requirements here.