There have been misconceptions about voter fraud in the recent past, including deceptive marketing that led to an insurrection in 2020. The reality is that voter fraud is extremely rare, and when instances have been found they have been isolated, largely due to voter error not intent, and not even remotely frequent enough to swing an election.

After the 2020 presidential election over 60 lawsuits were filed, many of which were reviewed by Republican-appointed judges, and not one found any significant evidence of fraud. In fact, a joint statement from the Elections Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council & the Election Infrastructure Sector Coordinating Executive Committees declared the 2020 election the “most secure in election history.” And the current KS Secretary of State says that elections are secure.

This continued misinformation allows governing bodies to pass laws which restrict voter participation, hurting poor, older, and voters of color disproportionately.

Denying the right to vote is in essence the same as stealing a vote, but alternatives exist that can both safeguard the electoral process and ensure the right to vote of all citizens. This continued narrative has also allowed our locally elected County Clerks, our very neighbors and dedicated public servants, to be threatened and harassed – rather than applauded for carrying out a secure election during an unprecedented pandemic.

We can make positive change in election laws in Kansas but only if we elect representation that will support it.

With 50 Democrats, 115 Republicans, and virtually no moderates in the current Kansas legislature, compromise rarely occurs. Bills often originate from national political groups rather than Kansas citizens, which is why the same legislation is often passed in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Nebraska, etc. To have legislation that empowers the right to vote in Kansas we need to election candidates who will vote for laws that enable rather than restrict voting in our state.

Several voter restriction laws have been passed in Kansas since Kris Kobach started spreading the unproven rumor of insecure elections. These have restricted the voices of poor, elderly, and persons of color.

Recent Voter Restriction Bills

HB2183 –  made it a crime to return 10 or more ballots on behalf of voters who may need assistance, such as voters with disabilities or the elderly; made it a crime to be mistaken as an ‘election official’ while conducting voter education events; removed the authority of the Secretary of State to extend the deadline for receiving advance mail ballots

HB2138 – created the requirement of a watermark on ballots, the cost of which counties will cover; establishes a biannual election audit; expands election-related crimes; creates a path to purge voters from registration lists if they skip elections