ACLU Comment on Federal Appeals Court Victory in Kansas Voting Lawsuit

SALT LAKE CITY — A federal appeals court ruled a Kansas voting law crafted by former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is unconstitutional and violates the National Voter Registration Act, commonly referred to as the “motor-voter law.”

The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Kansas, and Dechert LLP challenged the law on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Kansas and individual Kansans.

The law illegally mandated documentary proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate or passport) to register to vote, and blocked more than 30,000 Kansans from registering to vote. A federal trial court struck down the law citing violations of the National Voter Registration Act and the U.S. Constitution, prompting the state’s appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, argued the case and had this reaction to today’s ruling:

“This law disenfranchised tens of thousands of Kansans, denying them the most fundamental right in our democracy. We are gratified the court struck it down, and now call upon Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab to turn the page on Kris Kobach’s sorry legacy of voter suppression, drop any further appeals, and work with us collaboratively in the interests of all Kansas voters.”

Ruling: https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/fish-v-schwab-10th-circuit-opinion

Case details: https://www.aclu.org/cases/fish-v-schwab-formerly-fish-v-kobach