Democratic House member Jim Ward (D-Wichita) told a crowd in Salina that the practice of disenfranchising voters as conducted by Secretary of State Kobach seemed as though it was the plot of a “political conspiracy theory film”, but went on to say, “unfortunately for us, it's real.”
Today, in a meeting done outside of the normal legislative process, according to Senator Vicki Schmidt (R-Topeka), The Kansas Secretary of State's office enacted a rule that effectively disenfranchises roughly 18,000 Kansans. Those Kansans will now discover that they cannot vote by direct ballot, but they can only vote provisionally, and any votes cast for state & local races will be thrown away.
The crime these voters have committed? They registered via the Federal Motor Voter form at their DMV, a form that, according to Secretary of State Kobach, isn’t good enough for the state of Kansas.
cjonline.com/...
Tens of thousands of Kansans will be denied the right to have their votes counted in state and local races that too many of them are more important than federal races, Johnson said. The Secretary of State’s office sought the rule approval on Tuesday, he said, so it could have the process it wants without having to go through the “circus” a second time.
“This is the kind of regulation that should get a full hearing, full consideration under the administrative process,” Johnson, who also teaches at the University of Kansas, said. “I tell my students that it’s important to honor the process. This dishonors the process. Kansas statutes outline how these kind of regulations of such importance should be considered. The Secretary of State knew exactly what he was doing in proposing this regulation today.”
Rep. Jim Ward, D-Wichita, also criticized the panel over the hasty meeting, calling it “appalling.” The only thing missing from the small conference room was smoke, he said.
The rule, which will take effect immediately, flies in the face of repeated court rulings which indicate the state of Kansas has no power to conduct such policies.
The rule change again throws another wrench into the process of voting.
President Obama had recently championed how easy it is to register to vote:
But for Kansas residents, a maze awaits them. A registration on one form only qualifies them to vote in certain races. They must use another form to register for all races, or to have access to state races. They must produce a series of documents - which may have a direct cost to them — and they have time frames by which they must be submitted or be culled out of the system.
With new rules now back in play, just in time for the Kansas August primary, voters in Kansas remain in the dark as to what successfully registering to vote looks like in Kansas.
.
Kansas & Missouri Kossacks
Contact the Daily Kos group Kansas & Missouri Kossacks by kosmail(members of Daily Kos only).
Contact Chris Reeves with news, tips, and/or information by tmservo433@gmail.com
Follow Chris on Twitter @tmservo433.
If you would like to publish or republish a Daily Kos diary to the group Kansas & Missouri Kossacks, please let us know by kosmail or email.
If you have a location or story that needs support from Connect! Unite! Act!, please let us know by kosmail or email.