The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 22, 2023

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

A 2021 Kansas law, H.B. 2183, made impersonating an election official a felony.  But its vague language unintentionally or intentionally swept up voter registration groups like the League of Women Voters, stopping registration efforts.  A Kansas Supreme Court ruling December 15th gives standing to the democracy groups challenging the law.

The 2021 passage of H.B. 2183 virtually stopped third party voter registration drives.  Pro-voter group Loud Light, speaking to the Kansas Reflector, said the group may have missed the opportunity to register thousands of Kansas voters. They and other pro-voter plaintiff’s sued in 2021, but a district court said they had no standing to bring the case.  

An appeals court overturned the no-standing portion of the ruling, but also affirmed voting as a fundamental right for Kansans, concluding, “ Thus, voting rights are preserved in the Kansas Constitution. Great care must be taken when trying to limit or infringe on those rights. Voting was important then. Voting is important now.”  Refusing to give up on the voter suppression law, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach appealed it to the State Supreme Court

The Kansas high court’s ruling doesn’t overturn the law, but affirmed HB 2183 was so vaguely written that it justified the plaintiff’s standing, and allowed the case to proceed.  We’ll have more in the coming months.  

We have the court opinions and the groups taking action at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Kansas Reflector – Kansas Supreme Court, ‘wary’ of free speech restrictions, allows challenge to 2021 voting law
Associated Press – Kansas’ top court says a GOP election law is vague and revives a lawsuit against it
Kansas Court of Appeals – Opinion – League of Women Voters of Kansas v. Schwab
Kansas Supreme Court – Opinion – League of Women Voters of Kansas v. Schwab
Democracy Docket – Kansas Voter Suppression Law Challenge (LWV)
Democracy Docket – Explainer: How Third-Party Organizations Conduct Voter Registration

Groups Taking Action:
League of Women Voters, League of Women Voters of Kansas, Loud Light, Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice,  Topeka Independent Living Resource Center

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Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VoterSuppression #FreedomtoVote #KansasPolitics

The post A Kansas Law Stopped Voter Registration Groups from Doing Their Work. A Kansas Supreme Court Ruling May Help them Fight Back. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 8, 2023

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

In defense of two restrictive voting laws, the State of Kansas argued to the Kansas Supreme Court Friday that voting is NOT a fundamental state constitutional right, as an appeals court had ruled.  

Democracy groups challenged 2021 laws implementing notoriously inaccurate signature matching for mail-in voting, and restricting third party handling of ballots. Both impede the right to vote for elderly and disabled citizens. 

The Kansas Reflector reports that a district court judge dismissed the case, but an appeals court panel ruled in March 2023 that the Kansas Constitution and Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights guarantee voting as a fundamental constitutional right. 

In Friday’s arguments, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said, “If any of us wishes to exercise our freedom of speech, we may do so whenever we choose. If we wish to worship, we may do so whenever we choose.  We have absolute autonomy, and we really don’t rely on anyone or any entity for us to do that. The same cannot be said of voting.”

In the appellate decision, Judge Stephen Hill wrote:  “It was by free elections that we gained statehood. Thus, voting rights are preserved in the Kansas Constitution. Great care must be taken when trying to limit or infringe on those rights. Voting was important then. Voting is important now.”

The Kansas Supreme Court’s ruling is pending.  We have the appellate decision and more on the case at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.    I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Democracy Docket – Kansas Voter Suppression Law Challenge
Kansas Reflector – Court of Appeals reverses lower court on Kansas lawsuit challenging restraint of voting rights
Kansas Reflector – Voting rights case sent to Kansas Supreme Court, challenging 2021 election law
Kansas Reflector – Kansas Supreme Court set to consider protections for voting rights
Kansas State Constitution – Suffrage
Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights –  Kansas Bill of Rights

Kansas Court of Appeals – League of Women Voters of Kansas v. Schwab

Groups Taking Action:
League of Women Voters of Kansas, Loud Light, Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice,  Topeka Independent Living Resource Center

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and SHARE!  

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VotingRights #FreedomtoVote #DisabilityRights #VoterSuppression

The post Is Voting a Fundamental Right? The Kansas Supreme Court Hears a Case Where the State Argues It’s Not. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.